Provisional IRA

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps the Government are taking to encourage the Provisional IRA to disband.

David Hanson: The Independent Monitoring Commission's (IMC) 10th report published on26 April, states that "PIRA has taken a strategic decision to follow a political path" and that it does not in their view "present a terrorist threat". This is consistent with the chief constable's assessment.

Antisocial Behaviour Strategy

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what co-operation there is between local authorities, the Police Service of Northern Ireland and housing authorities in respect of implementing an antisocial behaviour strategy in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: Tackling antisocial behaviour is part of the broader community safety strategy for Northern Ireland. The Police Service of Northern Ireland, local councils and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive work together on all 26 Community Safety Partnerships to deal with the community safety matters, including anti-social behaviour, which have been identified as priorities in their local community safety strategies and action plans.

Arts Council

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been allocated to the Arts Council of Northern Ireland in each year since 1997; and how much this represents per head of population in Northern Ireland.

Maria Eagle: Funds allocated to the Arts Council from DCAL since the Department came into existence in 1999 are shown in the tables below. Figures for earlier years are not readily available.
	
		
			  Government grants to the Arts Council of Northern Ireland since 1999 
			   £ 
			 1999-2000 7,249,090 
			 2000-01 6,956,000 
			 2001-02 8,053,000 
			 2002-03 7,960,000 
			 2003-04 10,974,000 
			 2004-05 11,949,223 
			 2005-06 10,832,074 
		
	
	
		
			  Per capita expenditure since 1999 
			   £ 
			 1999-2000 4.31 
			 2000-01 4.13 
			 2001-02 4.76 
			 2002-03 4.69 
			 2003-04 6.44 
			 2004-05 6.98 
			 2005-06 6.33

Arts Council

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how long each member of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland has been in post.

Maria Eagle: The information you have requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Membership of the Arts Council 
			   Currently in post 
			  Date of appointment/member  Years  Months 
			  1 July 2003   
			 Mrs. Rosemary Kelly (Chair) 2 9 
			 Mr. Martin Bradley (Vice-Chair) 2 9 
			 Mrs. Eithne Benson 2 9 
			 Mrs. Kathleen Bond 2 9 
			 Mr. Will Chamberlain(1) 1 11 
			 Ms Lucia (Lucy) Finnegan 2 9 
			
			  1 February 2005   
			 Mr. Raymond Fullerton 1 3 
			
			  1 July 2003   
			 Ms Jill Amanda Holmes 2 9 
			 Mr. Anthony Kennedy 2 9 
			 Mr. Tim Kerr 2 9 
			 Mr. Adrian McDowell(2) ? 8 
			 (1) Resigned June 2005. (2) Resigned March 2004.

Classroom Assistants

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the evaluation of classroom assistants' jobs in Northern Ireland commenced; and if he will make a statement on the evaluation.

Maria Eagle: Classroom assistants are part of the Education and Library Boards' overall Job Evaluation exercise that commenced in 1995. Since that time, Boards have been conducting a range of job evaluations for some 25,000 staff in total. It was acknowledged at the start that this would be a complex exercise that would take a considerable amount of time. It was therefore agreed that the effective date of any re-grading would be 1 January 1995 so that no member of staff would be disadvantaged by having to wait for the evaluation of their post.
	Classroom Assistants are the last major group of staff (some 7,000) for which Job Evaluation agreement remains outstanding and I am told that negotiations between the Education and Library Boards and the Trade Union Side on the job evaluation process for classroom assistants are at an advanced stage. A total of £25.7 million has already been made available to cover costs resulting from the evaluation exercise. My Department has made clear to the Boards, as employers, the importance of reaching a speedy settlement that is affordable within those sizeable resources already provided and awaits further details from them as to how this objective will be delivered.

Credit Card Fraud

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the change in credit card fraud in Northern Ireland since the introduction of the Chip and PIN technology.

Paul Goggins: Chip and PIN has had a phased introduction into Northern Ireland, with some outlets offering the facility prior to 14 February. After that date, the use of PIN became mandatory with some exceptions, including cases where cardholders had not received upgraded cards or where outlets had not yet introduced the appropriate technology. It is therefore early to make a sound estimate of the impact of Chip and PIN.
	The PSNI have provided the figures which are an estimate of criminal benefit obtained as a result of credit card fraud, from 2002 to date in the table. These figures are based on incidents reported to the PSNI for investigation; however it is accepted that the true figure could be significantly higher, as many incidents are reported directly to financial institutions that in turn may not make a report to police.
	
		
			   Investigation files  Criminal Benefit 
			 2002 626 1,279,286 
			 2003 597 330,774 
			 2004 551 281,512 
			 2005 646 449,100 
			 2006 to date 321 159,763 
		
	
	There are many types of 'plastic card fraud' and while early indications suggest that chip and PIN has made an impact on 'Card Present Fraud' where a PIN is required, there could be a migration to other forms of card fraud such as CNP (Card Not Present). An example of CNP fraud is internet, mail order type transactions where a PIN is not required.
	In 2005, 'Plastic losses' (including ATM fraud such as skimming, Account/ Identity takeover, Fraudulent Application fraud and Compromised card use) amounted to approximately £532,000; the level of cheque crime for 2005 was estimated to be £4,128,000.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff in  (a) each Northern Ireland Department and  (b) the Northern Ireland Office, have had (i) five or more, (ii) four, (iii) three and (iv) two periods of sick leave of less than five days in each of the last three years.

David Hanson: The following tables set out the number of staff who have  (a) five or more,  (b) four,  (c) three and  (d) two periods of sick absence of less than give days in each of the past three years.
	
		
			  Number of staff with periods of sick leave of less than five days by Department: 2004-05 
			  Department  Five or more occasions  Four occasions  Three occasions  Two occasions 
			 DARD 23 49 111 418 
			 DCAL 7 9 37 67 
			 DE 7 12 30 120 
			 DETI 4 13 38 133 
			 DFP 26 45 138 405 
			 DEL 10 20 51 199 
			 DHSSPS 15 18 50 142 
			 DOE 24 54 103 315 
			 DRD 13 23 98 422 
			 DSD 52 97 347 1,166 
			 OFMDFM 3 7 24 64 
			 NIO 9 29 88 192 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of staff with periods of sick leave of Less than five days by Department 2003-04 
			  Department  Five or more occasions  Four occasions  Three occasions  Two occasions 
			 DARD 64 65 212 528 
			 DCAL 11 15 51 77 
			 DE 7 20 46 90 
			 DETI 6 18 69 142 
			 DFP 48 61 191 467 
			 DEL 21 28 101 281 
			 DHSSPS 29 31 76 173 
			 DOE 39 63 185 402 
			 DRD 66 94 249 657 
			 DSD 71 160 544 1,382 
			 OFMDFM 9 12 33 70 
			 NIO 11 22 76 199 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of staff with periods of sick leave of less than five days by department: 2002-03 
			  Department  Five or more occasions  Four occasions  Three occasions  Two occasions 
			 DARD 79 87 207 457 
			 DCAL 15 17 41 75 
			 DE 5 20 40 97 
			 DETI 15 34 74 134 
			 DFP 62 87 245 457 
			 DEL 44 49 138 304 
			 DHSSPS 39 38 92 166 
			 DOE 31 78 189 364 
			 DRD 77 111 316 756 
			 DSD 96 156 603 1,440 
			 OFMDFM 6 15 29 55 
			 NIO 10 21 75 166

Diversiton Multi-faith Calendar

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was donated to the diversiton multi-faith calendar 2006 by the  (a) Northern Ireland Office and  (b) Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Peter Hain: As sponsors of the 2006 multi-faith calendar  (a) Northern Ireland Office purchased 500 calendars at a cost of £2,375 and  (b) the Police Service of Northern Ireland purchased 250 calendars at a cost of £1,500. The calendars were widely distributed throughout each organisation as part of on-going work to improve understanding of diversity.

IRA Army Council

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who he has identified as the members of the Army Council of the Provisional IRA.

Paul Goggins: The hon. Gentleman will be aware that it is the longstanding policy of the Government not to comment on matters of intelligence or individual cases.

University of Ulster

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many non-EU students have been enrolled at each University of Ulster Campus in each of the last three years.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is as follows.
	
		
			  Non-EU domiciled enrolments at the University of Ulster by campus 2002-03 to 2004-05 
			  Academic year  University of Ulster Campus 
			   Belfast  Coleraine  Jordanstown  Magee  Total 
			 2002-03 9 256 289 44 598 
			 2003-04 10 269 300 38 617 
			 2004-05 6 229 250 58 543 
			  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) 
		
	
	HESA data relating to the 2005-06 academic year are not available at this time.

Ministerial Visits (Accommodation)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discounts are available in relation to hotel accommodation used by  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers in his Department.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department uses a formal contract with a Hotel Booking Agent to book rooms required for overnight stays on official business. On average the Department receives 8 per cent. discount on room bookings and is charged a management fee by the Agent for the administration of the contract.

Burma

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he  (a) is taking and  (b) plans to take to assist the internally displaced Karen, Karenni and Shan people in eastern Burma.

Gareth Thomas: DFID provides direct support to the internally displaced Karen, Karenni and Shan people in eastern Burma through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to which we provide £500,000 a year, of which approximately 75 per cent. is attributable to work with displaced people in this area. These funds are able to reach internally displaced people in areas where fighting is actually occurring.
	In addition, our health, education and rural livelihood projects provide assistance in eastern Burma, and support internally displaced people who have resettled there, as well as other vulnerable people. For example, in Karen State, our fund for HIV/AIDS in Myanmar enables World Vision to deliver projects in two townships, Save the Children UK in four townships and Care in five townships, as well as funding other national NGOs. DFID-funded projects supporting the development of rural livelihoods, and pre-primary education are both about to start in Karen State.
	In response to the growing numbers of internally displaced people in eastern Burma, we are providing finance which enables the provision of emergency support through local community groups. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and assess whether we need to supplement those funds.

Consultants

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the companies which were paid consultancy fees by his Department in 2005-06; how much each was paid; and what each of the companies was used to accomplish.

Hilary Benn: I have arranged for copies of the document entitled 'Paid Consultant Fees: 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006' which gives details of the companies and the fees paid to them by the Department for International Development (DFID), to be placed in the Libraries of the House. The Terms of Reference are specific to each contract and are generally part of a larger project which has been agreed by overseas partners. The contract titles on the report reflect the type of activity carried out. The report does not include low value contracts issued by DFID's overseas offices, of which there are no consolidated central records. It would require disproportionate cost to produce a list of these contracts.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the work his Department is undertaking in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Hilary Benn: DFID has a rapidly increasing programme of development assistance in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In 2001-02 the UK had a £7 million programme of humanitarian aid. In 2005-06, the UK spent approximately £57 million on a package of emergency humanitarian aid and longer term development activity. We have £63 million available this financial year. Since October 2005, DFID has had a fully devolved office of 33 staff in the DRC (11 UK based and 22 staff appointed in country). The UK is committed to supporting poverty reduction and sustainable development in the DRC in the long-term.
	Our current programme in the DRC is divided into four themes that reflect the transition context in the country—the first democratic elections for 40 years are due to be held this summer. As the DRC moves out of transition, the nature of our engagement will evolve accordingly. Where possible, we work in a collaborative or harmonised way with other partners and, as far as we can, in support of the Government's processes and systems.
	We are in the process of developing a full Country Assistance Plan for the DRC—which will be completed over the course of 2006, after discussion with the new Government. We will do this as much as possible in conjunction with other donors.
	Our current transition programme follows the following themes:
	 Security and the Rule of Law
	Support for the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of ex-combatants through the Multi-Country Demobilisation and Re-integration Programme (MDRP), support to army integration, reform of the police and justice sector, and local level peace building and dialogue initiatives through non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
	 Functioning State
	This includes support for the transition institutions (such as the Parliament, Electoral Commission and High Media Authority), the establishment of a professional and impartial media sector, and preparation for elections. The UK is the largest bilateral donor to the electoral process in the DRC.
	 Reconstruction
	Support for infrastructure within the Government's reconstruction plan, especially transport links; the development of a poverty reduction strategy (PRSP); support to the social sectors (health, education and water) largely through NGQs; and the fight against HIV/AIDS through UNAIDS and NGOs.
	 Natural Resources and Enhanced Revenue Generation
	We have funded research by Global Witness into the current state of natural resources management in the DRC. We are supporting the implementation of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in the DRC and developing our plans for further support for effective and transparent natural resource extraction and the re-establishment of border control systems.
	 Humanitarian
	Around half of our programme is spent on humanitarian interventions either through UN agencies or NGOs, to address the complex and chronic humanitarian emergency that has faced the people of the DRC since the war. Our funding is principally channelled to the UN's Action Plan for the DRC through its pooled donor funding mechanism.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has to visit the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Hilary Benn: I hope to visit the Democratic Republic of Congo in the autumn; once the elections have finished and the new government is installed.

Departmental Credit Cards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what facility is available for senior civil servants in his Department to use credit cards supplied by the Department.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) operates a Mastercard system supplied by the NatWest bank, under an arrangement set up by the Welsh Procurement Initiative. The card is used for low value, high volume purchases by senior civil servants as required. It has both individual and overall spending limits, and usage is closely monitored to ensure compliance with Government Accounting rules.

Genetic Resources

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what assistance his Department has provided to enable countries to consider different forms of sui generis systems for plant varieties; and what studies his Department has carried out to assess the impact of Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights on the availability of seeds for farmers and researchers in developing countries;
	(2)  what studies his Department has carried out to assess the effectiveness of different forms of sui generis systems for plant varieties for allowing continuing access by farmers and researchers to seeds;
	(3)  what assistance his Department has provided to developing countries to develop a definition of 'micro-organisms' to enable free access to genetic resources consistent with Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights; and what studies his Department has carried out to assist the development of such a definition;
	(4)  what measures his Department has taken to support developing countries to restrict the application of patents to plant and animal genetic resources in ways which are consistent with Trade-Related Property Intellectual Rights;
	(5)  what assistance his Department has provided for the purpose of ensuring that patent protection legislation in developing countries includes specific exemptions for plant breeding and research and the harvested seed intended for re-sowing by the producing farmer; and what studies his Department has carried out to assist the development of such legislation;
	(6)  what his Department's policy is on preserving the rights of countries not to grant patents for plants and animals, includes genes and genetically modified plants and animals, in order to protect varieties for research and breeding, to provide for the rights of farmers to save and plant-back seed and to allow informal sale and exchange of seeds.

Gareth Thomas: The UK Government believe that the question of patenting of plants and animals should be carefully considered by developing countries. The UK Government also strongly believe that the flexibilities contained in the Trade Related aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) agreement, Article 27.3(b), are important and should be used. The TRIPs agreement indeed allows the World Trade Organisation (WTO) members to exclude plant varieties from patentability. However, the WTO members are required to provide for plant varieties protection either by patents or by an effective sui generis system or by any combination thereof. The TRIPS agreement also makes clear that WTO members have to provide patents for inventions involving microbiological and non-biological processes, which would include genetic modification technology.
	The UK Government agree that sui generis systems for protecting plant varieties may be a more suitable option for many developing countries.
	There are a certain number of issues to consider when restricting the application of patenting in agricultural biotechnology. The interpretation of the TRIPS provisions is one of them, as there is no agreed international legal definition of "micro-organism". We believe that it is legitimate for the WTO member states to make a reasonable definition of "micro-organism" for themselves. The UK Government are also of the view that developing countries could consider in sui generis systems the use of exceptions to exclusive rights for research and plant breeding purpose, as well as to enable farmers to save and plant back seed, including the possibility of informal exchange and sale.
	The UK Government are supporting the rapid implementation of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), which came into force in 2004. The ITPGRFA has the objective to facilitate access to genetic resources, and recognises the contribution of farmers in conserving, improving and making these resources available. It also covers the question of farmer's rights. DFID supported the International Plant Genetic Research Institute (IPGRI) in advising the FAO on development of the ITPGRFA.
	DFID has funded analytical work that takes these issues into consideration. DFID provided support to the Secretariat of the independent UK Commission on Intellectual Property Rights, which reported in September 2002 and provided a breakthrough analysis of the implications of intellectual property protection for development. DFID has since provided funding for a UNCTAD—International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development joint project on intellectual property in Geneva, as well as work carried out by the Quaker United Nations Office in Geneva. These projects have produced highly valued analytical papers, technical dialogues and research cooperation projects with regional institutions, covering agricultural and plant variety patent protection.
	DFID has not provided any direct technical assistance or capacity building support to developing countries to help them define restrictions to the application of patenting in agricultural biotechnology in a manner consistent with the TRIPS Agreement. DFID's development assistance is recipient driven, and countries are defining their own development priorities. Should interested developing countries formulate future requests for assistance in these issues, DFID will consider how to answer such needs. Specialised international and national intellectual property agencies or offices are technically better placed to provide such assistance and the UK Patent Office has provided training and assistance to developing countries and less developed countries when requested.

State Failures

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the extent of state failure in  (a) Sudan, (b) Democratic Republic of Congo,  (c) Cote d'Ivoire,  (d) Zimbabwe,  (e) Chad,  (f) Somalia,  (g) Haiti,  (h) Pakistan, (i) Guinea and (j) Liberia; and what steps are being taken by his Department to reduce the incidence of state failure.

Hilary Benn: There is no international agreement on what constitutes state fragility: the World Bank's Country Policy and Institutional Assessments (CPIA) can be used to measure fragility. The CPIA measures countries performance and divides low-income countries into five categories. There is one "unranked" group of countries not scored in any given year. The lowest two categories plus the unranked group are used by DFID and other donors as a list of fragile countries. Of the countries listed, all except Pakistan fall into this proxy list.
	Poverty is widespread and particularly severe in fragile states. Aid that has been given has often been volatile, fragmented and poorly co-ordinated. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) cannot be achieved without more progress in fragile states.
	Following the publication of our policy paper 'Why we need to work more effectively in fragile states' in January last year, DFID has made a commitment to increase engagement in fragile states. We have, with our partners, been developing more appropriate ways of working together to improve the way the international system organises itself to respond and deliver aid. DFID has led work in the OECD's Development Assistance Committee including on agreeing 'Principles for good international engagement in fragile states'. These were endorsed in 2005 and are currently being piloted in nine countries. DFID is leading three of the nine pilots.
	Copies of the 2005 policy paper are available in the Library of the House.
	Our engagement in the fragile states listed is as follows:
	 Sudan
	The UK share of EC and multilateral assistance was £9 million in 2004. Total DFID Bilateral Aid in 2004-05 was £84 million (of which £77.7 million was humanitarian assistance). The Comprehensive Peace Agreement to the North- South conflict and the recently signed 'Darfur Peace Agreement' offer the people of Sudan genuine opportunities for political representation and security. DFID will spend £109.8 million in 2006-07 helping to meet the humanitarian, developmental and conflict resolution needs inSudan, split roughly humanitarian: £67 millionand development/conflict resolution: £42 million. Furthermore, we are working closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to support the Abuja peace process and the African Union peacekeepers in Darfur.
	 Democratic Republic of Congo
	The UK share of EC and multilateral assistance was £31.3 million in 2004. In the last five years, DFID bilateral assistance to the DRC has risen rapidly, from £5.6 million in 2001-2 to £29.2 million (of which £22.2 million was humanitarian assistance) in 2004-05. A fully devolved DFID programme was established in the country in late 2005. Expenditure of £132 million is planned over the next two years. The increase in DFID's assistance reflects the UK's determination to support the people and the Government of the DRC to complete successfully the transition process, including the elections, and find a sustainable path to peace, prosperity and poverty reduction.
	 Cote d'Ivoire
	DFID has no bilateral development programme with Cote d'Ivoire, but since the start of hostilities in 2002 we have provided £900,000 in humanitarian assistance including displaced people and refugees of many nationalities. We are working closely with the international community to help bring about a swift and peaceful resolution. Our share of EC and multilateral assistance totalled about £13.2 millionin 2004.
	 Zimbabwe
	Since the crisis in Zimbabwe began in 2000 until 2004-05 (most recently published figures), DFID Zimbabwe has provided £117.1 million to support poor people in Zimbabwe through our bilateral programme. Our share of EC and multilateral assistance was£5.6 million in 2004. DFID has focused on humanitarian assistance, tackling HIV and AIDS and providing support to orphans and vulnerable children. DFID channels resources through the UN agencies and civil society: none of our funding goes through the Government of Zimbabwe. We work closely with other donors and international organisations in identifying and responding to the immediate needs of Zimbabwe's poorest people.
	 Chad
	There is no bilateral development programme, but humanitarian assistance was £2 million in 2004-05. Our share of EC and multilateral assistance totalled£7.6 million in 2004. DFID continually monitors the humanitarian situation and undertakes periodic assessments in the east of the country. Humanitarian funding totalling £4.million is planned this year.
	 Somalia
	The UK share of EC and multilateral assistance was £4.2 million in 2004. DFID's programme has increased from £1.7 million in 2001-02 to £5.3 million in 2004-05 (of which £3.5 million was spent on humanitarian activities) and is set to reach £21 million in the financial year 2007-08. The majority of last year's spend was focused on emergency humanitarian activities due to the drought in early 2006. We work with a range of Somali partners, UN system and NGOS. The overall goal of the programme is a peaceful, politically stable, and economically viable Somalia.
	 Haiti.
	DFID assists Haiti through multilateral contributions to the amount of £15.3 million over the period 1999-2004 through the UK imputed share to the European Commission, United Nations, World Bank and others. We made bilateral contributions to humanitarian needs in 2004-05 of £1.9 million. We are hoping to put a DFID placement in the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Port au Prince to assist in donor harmonisation/aid effectiveness and humanitarian assessments.
	 Guinea
	DFID has no bilateral development programme with Guinea, but our share of EC and multilateral assistance totalled £6.4 million in 2004. DFID undertakes regular assessments of humanitarian need and has provided assistance totalling £2.3 million over the period 2000-01 to 2004-05. Last year's programme (figures not yet available) included assisting people affected by conflict, and supporting an emergency immunisation programme. We are also planning support for conflict prevention activities to help minimise the risks of political transition.
	 Liberia
	DFID is working closely with the new government of Liberia to strengthen its capacity, particularly in anti-corruption and civil service reform. DFID has provided over £17.4 million of bilateral aid from 2002-03 — 2004-05 (including £12.5 million humanitarian assistance), and is also supporting the resettlement of refugees and reintegration of ex-combatants (£3 million this year). The UK share of EC and multilateral support was£3.5 million in 2004.
	DFID also has a significant engagement in:
	 Pakistan
	Which we would not class as a fragile state, where we spent £31.4 million in 2004-05. UK share of EC and multilateral assistance was £18.9 million in 2004. Last year DFID's bilateral expenditure increased considerably and £236 million expenditure is planned over the next three years. In addition to all this, last year's earthquake relief is being followed up with£70 million towards reconstruction over the next 3-5 years. DFID works closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in country to alleviate the causes of state fragility.

Traditional Knowledge

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what research his Department has carried out to assess what systems are best for protecting traditional knowledge;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to ensure that the holders of traditional knowledge from developing countries are protected when patent applications are made;
	(3)  what studies his Department has carried out to assess the effectiveness of the Food and Agriculture Organisation Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources, in countries where it has been ratified, in  (a) protecting traditional knowledge,  (b) ensuring the equitable sharing of benefits from utilisation of genetic resources,  (c) securing the right to be consulted about the sustainable use and conservation of genetic resources and  (d) protecting other rights of farmers;
	(4)  what fora  (a) he and  (b) his officials participate in to consider the protection of traditional knowledge.

Gareth Thomas: DFID recognises the importance of traditional knowledge to communities, and especially poor farmers, in developing countries and to ensure their rights to, and benefits from this knowledge are protected. DFID has taken a number of steps to help achieve this.
	In relation to DFID funded research, all our contracts specify that the retention of intellectual property rights (IPR) should be freely available for non-commercial use by any organisation or individual. This ensures DFID research outputs cannot be captured in patents, and that traditional knowledge is protected.
	DFID has directly commissioned work on traditional knowledge. This included a survey on IPR and sustainable human development in 2000. This review investigated the suitability of IPR regimes for protecting traditional knowledge and concluded that patents are generally unsuitable, but that other IPR regimes required further investigation.
	In 2003, DFID produced a briefing on TRIPS (the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement) and development. This investigated how IPR regimes could take greater account of developing country interests, and raised the concern that TRIPS does not cover traditional knowledge. We are working with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) on this. This issue was again recognised by the Commission for Africa which my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for International Development was a member. The Commission's Report stated that developed countries should increase technical support to Africa for the extension of IPR to indigenous innovation and knowledge.
	We also support the Centres of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) to conduct work on traditional knowledge and genetic resources. For example, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) is conducting ethnobotanical research to identify where and how genetic diversity in crops is found and valued. The International Plant Genetic Research Institute (IPGRI) has developed an Indigenous Knowledge Journal to help empower knowledge holders. Under this farmers document their knowledge on a topic on audio tape, or any media, in their own language which can then be listed in scientific journals.
	At the national level DFID has supported a range of initiatives on traditional knowledge. For example, in Indonesia we are supporting local NGOs in partnership with the Government to explore opportunities for supporting traditional forest management systems where communities directly benefit from their traditional knowledge.
	We supported the IPGRI in advising the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on development of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. DFID has not yet carried out any studies to assess the effectiveness of the Treaty as it only recently came into force in June 2004.
	Alongside the Treaty the Global Crop Diversity Trust was established and this will set up gene banks to preserve existing plant material. The issue of the diversity in animal genetic resources is under discussion including the possibility of a new Treaty. DFID is financing studies on this to help inform discussion in the FAO.
	We have funded dialogues on traditional knowledge, for example through a joint project with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD). This project contributed to enhancing developing countries' engagement in World Trade Organisation (WTO) and WIPO discussions.
	DFID has supported the work of the 2002 Commission on Intellectual Property Rights (CIPR). The Commission reported that traditional knowledge was an important area where intellectual property protection needed to be developed. The UK Government broadly endorsed the analysis of the CIPR.
	DFID officials participate in the intergovernmental discussions that take place under article 8j of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. There is a Working Group on Article 8j, which DFID officials participate in, this has worked on (a) improving participation of indigenous communities in decision making processes (b) mechanisms for maintaining traditional knowledge relevant to the conservation and sustainable use (c) promoting the wider application of this traditional knowledge, subject to the consent of communities concerned and (d) encouraging the equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of traditional knowledge.

2012 Olympics

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what the estimated budget is for security at the London 2012 Olympics;
	(2)  what recent revision she has made of the£220 million figure for security costs at the London 2012 Olympics; and what the total security costs were at  (a) the Sydney 2000 Olympics and  (b) the Athens 2004 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 22 May 2006
	The overall responsibility for security for the Olympic and Paralympic Games rests with the Home Secretary. He has appointed a senior Metropolitan Officer as the security director with day-to-day responsibility for all security related matters.
	The security director is currently reviewing the requirement for providing a safe Games for all concerned, and will report to Ministers shortly. We will, with the security director, keep the developing security situation under constant review until the Games are complete so as to be able to respond to changing threats and circumstances.
	Security costs at the Sydney Olympic Games quoted in their post Games report totalled A$170 million (approximately £70 million at today's exchange rate). The approximate cost of security at Athens was €900 million.
	However, as the international security situation continues to change we do not believe that valid cost comparisons can be made with previous Games.The Metropolitan police and other agencies are nevertheless in contact with their counterparts in other countries to learn from their operational experiences.

Betting and Gaming

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment the Government have made of the effects on the economy of the liberalisation of the betting and gaming industries.

Richard Caborn: The Government commissioned economic (studies to inform the policies that are incorporated in the Gambling Act 2005. The results of some of these studies are included in the Regulatory Impact Assessment which accompanied the Act Assent and can be found in the Libraries of both Houses.

Departmental Bills (Amendments)

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the occasions when an amendment has been moved by  (a) a Labour backbencher,  (b) an Opposition backbencher and  (c) an Opposition front bench spokesman to a Bill sponsored by her Department that has been accepted by her Department during the current session; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has sponsored the following Bills during the current session:
	The London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Bill
	The National Lottery Bill
	Information on amendments moved and accepted during the Committee and Report Stage on these Bills is published in the  Official Report.

Departmental Responsibilities

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list responsibilities which her Department has lost since 1997; what the  (a) date and  (b) destination Department was in each case; what responsibilities the Department has taken on since 1997; and what the (i) date and (ii) source Department was in each case.

David Lammy: holding answer 15 May 2006
	Ministerial responsibilities are set out in the List of Ministerial Responsibilities, which is updated regularly. A revised version will be published shortly. Copies of previous versions are available in the Libraries of both Houses.

Horse Racing Levy

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was received by the horse racing industry from the Statutory Levy payment by UK bookmakers in each of the last six years; and what the total VAT payment on the Levy payment was in each year.

Richard Caborn: For the last six years the Horserace Betting Levy contributed the following amounts to the horse racing industry:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2005-06 (1 )91 
			 2004-05 97.3 
			 2003-04 102 
			 2002-03 74.5 
			 2001-02 67 
			 2000-01 55.2 
			 (1) estimated 
		
	
	To date the Levy has not been liable for VAT.

London Olympics

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with organisations with a view to extending the benefits of the 2012 Olympic Games into the north-west of England and Greater Manchester.

Richard Caborn: The Government are determined that the whole of the UK, including the North West of England and Greater Manchester, can contribute to and benefit from the Games in 2012.
	A Nations and Regions Group (NRG), has been established to provide leadership and strategic direction in ensuring that the whole of the UK is engaged with and benefits from the Games in 2012. Each nation and region, including the North West, is represented on the NRG and has been tasked with developing a delivery plan to ensure that it gains the maximum benefits from the Games.
	The North West has established its own Steering Group to drive forward this agenda. The group, chaired by the North West Sports Board, includes representation from the Northwest Regional Development Agency, the North West Tourism Forum, Government Office North West, Culture North West, Liverpool Culture Company, Manchester city council and Preston city council.

Lottery Funds

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been allocated from the National Lottery Distribution Fund to  (a) the Heritage Lottery Fund,  (b) UK Sports Lottery Distributors,  (c) UK Arts Lottery Distributors and  (d) the Community Fund in each financial year since 1994, not including investment income.

Richard Caborn: The following table shows non-investment income to the Heritage Lottery Fund, the UK Sports Lottery Distributors, the UK Arts Lottery Distributors and the Community Fund.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Financial year  Heritage Lottery Fund  UK Sports Lottery Distributors  UK Arts Lottery Distributors  Community Fund 
			 1994-95 57.8 57.8 57.8 57.8 
			 1995-96 288.7 288.7 288.7 288.7 
			 1996-97 291.5 291.5 291.5 291.5 
			 1997-98 327.2 327.2 327.2 327.2 
			 1998-99 253.7 253.7 253.7 253.7 
			 1999-2000 244.8 244.8 244.8 244.8 
			 2000-01 258.0 258.0 258.0 258.0 
			 2001-02 275.8 275.8 275.8 275.8 
			 2002-03 225.2 225.2 225.2 225.2 
			 2003-04 216.5 216.5 216.5 216.5 
			 2004-05 226.1 226.1 226.1 226.1 
			 2005-06 230.6 230.6 230.6 230.6

Private Members' Bills

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list those Private Members' Bills in respect of which her Department adopted a policy of neutrality in each session since 2001-02; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: Unfortunately, the information requested is not collected by the Department and it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Action Teams

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether  (a) Pathways to Work,  (b) employment zones and  (c) resources from the Deprived Areas Fund will be available in areas served by action teams.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 16 May 2006
	Pathways to Work and Employment Zones are already operating in many areas where Action Teams operate. The Action Team programme is due to finish later this year.
	The rationale for Action Teams as originally conceived—reaching out to those on benefit who would not otherwise have come into contact with our services—has now, to some extent, been superseded by the creation of Jobcentre Plus and the regime of compulsory work-focused interviews for almost all benefits recipients.
	We recognise, however, that some form of continuing outreach activity will be necessary to encourage the most socially excluded—some of whom will not even be claiming benefits—to make use of the support into work we can offer.
	The purpose of the Deprived Areas Fund is primarily to add value to current mainstream services offered by Jobcentre Plus and it is envisaged that this will build on the most effective elements of community based initiatives such as Action Teams, Working Neighbourhoods and Ethnic Minority Outreach. This will involve continued
	partnership working with local stakeholders.
	Our recently published Green Paper; A new deal for welfare: Empowering people to work sets out proposals for piloting new initiatives to help local partners work together to improve economic regeneration through skills, employment and health.
	Each local area will be asked to develop a consortium comprising local partners with a shared interest in working together to raise local employment rates and improve the local economy. This may include local authorities, employers, learning and skills councils, regional development agencies, primary care trusts and Jobcentre Plus. The key aim of this initiative will be to provide a solution that offers the maximum degree of local flexibility, so that local areas can provide local solutions to local problems.

Child Support Agency

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many non-resident parents were non-compliant with the Child Support Agency in each of the last five years.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the right hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-resident parents were non-compliant with the Child Support Agency in each of the last five years.
	There are two ways in which non-resident parents can be non-compliant. Information on these is available in the Child Support Agency's Quarterly Summary Statistics (QSS), published on 27(th) April 2006. A copy of this document is available in the House of Commons Library. Specifically:
	Table 7.1 shows Case Compliance - the number of cases that have made a payment (either regular maintenance and/or arrears) via the collection service over the preceding quarter as a percentage of all open cases for which maintenance was charged.
	Table 7.2 shows Maintenance Outcomes - the number of cases with a positive maintenance liability that have made a payment (either regular maintenance and/or arrears) via the collection service or have a Maintenance Direct arrangement in place over the preceding quarter.
	Note that the Agency measures compliance on the basis of cases, rather than non-resident parents, the data therefore reflects this.
	I hope you find this useful.
	
		
			  Extract from CSA Table 7.1: Case Compliance 
			   Overall Agency 
			  Quarter ending  Total cases charged  Total cases received  Case compliance (Percentage) 
			 November 1995 143,000 80,000 56 
			 February 1996 157,000 92,000 58 
			 May 1996 170,000 105,000 62 
			 August 1996 178,000 112,000 63 
			 November 1996 190,000 121,000 63 
			 February 1997 202,000 132,000 65 
			 May 1997 210,000 142,000 68 
			 August 1997 221 ,000 151,000 68 
			 November 1997 235,000 162,000 69 
			 February 1998 246,000 170,000 69 
			 May 1998 264,000 183,000 69 
			 August 1998 279,000 193,000 69 
			 November 1998 296,000 205,000 69 
			 February 1999 309,000 212,000 69 
			 May 1999 325,000 227,000 70 
			 August 1999 335,000 235,000 70 
			 November 1999 347,000 243,000 70 
			 February 2000 352,000 246,000 70 
			 May 2000 358,000 254,000 71 
			 August 2000 364,000 259,000 71 
			 November 2000 369,000 265,000 72 
			 February 2001 366,000 262,000 72 
			 May 2001 368,000 267,000 72 
			 August 2001 370,000 269,000 73 
			 November 2001 372,000 271,000 73 
			 February 2002 368,000 269,000 73 
			 May 2002 371,000 279,000 75 
			 August 2002 373,000 283,000 76 
			 November 2002 377,000 286,000 76 
			 February 2003 373,000 283,000 76 
			 April 2004 409,000 288,000 70 
			 May 2004 410,000 289,000 71 
			 June 2004 411,000 291,000 71 
			 July 2004 414,000 293,000 71 
			 August 2004 415,000 292,000 70 
			 September 2004 414,000 291,000 70 
			 October 2004 414,000 291,000 70 
			 November 2004 417,000 293,000 70 
			 December 2004 415,000 292,000 70 
			 January 2005 413,000 289,000 70 
			 February 2005 413,000 288,000 70 
			 March 2005 415,000 290,000 70 
			 April 2005 414,000 291,000 70 
			 May 2005 414,000 291,000 70 
			 June 2005 415,000 292,000 70 
			 July 2005 419,000 294,000 70 
			 August 2005 420,000 296,000 70 
			 September 2005 423,000 297,000 70 
			 October 2005 425,000 298,000 70 
			 November 2005 428,000 300,000 70 
			 December 2005 431 ,000 302,000 70 
			 January 2006 432,000 304,000 70 
			 February 2006 435,000 306,000 70 
			 March 2006 440,000 313,000 71 
			  Notes: 1. The above includes those old-scheme cases with a Full Maintenance Assessment, and those new-scheme cases with either a Full Maintenance Calculation, or a Default Maintenance Decision. Old-scheme cases with a punitive Interim Maintenance Assessment are excluded from this analysis in line with the Agency's case compliance target definition, as are new-scheme cases being processed clerically. 2. Cases are classed as compliant if they are currently open, and have been charged and paid money via the collection service (either regular maintenance and/or arrears) over the preceding quarter. 3. Volumes are rounded to the nearest thousand and percentages to nearest whole percent. 4. Robust data from the new IT system (CS2) covering the period March 2003-March 2004 is not currently available, and is under development. Data prior to November 1995 is not currently available. 
		
	
	
		
			  Extract from CSA Table 7.2: Maintenance Outcomes 
			   Overall Agency 
			  Quarter ending  Total cases charged  Total cases received  Case compliance (Percentage) 
			 November 1995 252,000 136,000 54 
			 February 1996 267,000 149,000 56 
			 May 1996 279,000 164,000 59 
			 August 1996 292,000 173,000 59 
			 November 1996 307,000 183,000 60 
			 February 1997 323,000 196,000 61 
			 May 1997 334,000 209,000 62 
			 August 1997 352,000 222,000 63 
			 November 1997 372,000 236,000 63 
			 February 1998 389,000 246,000 63 
			 May 1998 410,000 263,000 64 
			 August 1998 430,000 276,000 64 
			 November 1998 443,000 289,000 65 
			 February 1999 461,000 299,000 65 
			 May 1999 483,000 316,000 66 
			 August 1999 499,000 328,000 66 
			 November 1999 515,000 339,000 66 
			 February 2000 527,000 344,000 65 
			 May 2000 539,000 353,000 65 
			 August 2000 544,000 357,000 66 
			 November 2000 546,000 362,000 66 
			 February 2001 545,000 358,000 66 
			 May 2001 547,000 364,000 66 
			 August 2001 551,000 366,000 66 
			 November 2001 557,000 368,000 66 
			 February 2002 561,000 367,000 65 
			 May 2002 567,000 377,000 67 
			 August 2002 561,000 381,000 68 
			 November 2002 564,000 383,000 68 
			 February 2003 503,000 369,000 73 
			 April 2004 560,000 371,000 66 
			 May 2004 565,000 373,000 66 
			 June 2004 570,000 375,000 66 
			 July 2004 576,000 377,000 65 
			 August 2004 581,000 377,000 65 
			 September 2004 584,000 376,000 64 
			 October 2004 587,000 377,000 64 
			 November 2004 592,000 379,000 64 
			 December 2004 596,000 380,000 64 
			 January 2005 600,000 378,000 63 
			 February 2005 607,000 378,000 62 
			 March 2005 613,000 381,000 62 
			 April 2005 619,000 384,000 62 
			 May 2005 625,000 386,000 62 
			 June 2005 631,000 388,000 62 
			 July 2005 639,000 392,000 61 
			 August 2005 644,000 395,000 61 
			 September 2005 651,000 397,000 61 
			 October 2005 658,000 400,000 61 
			 November 2005 667,000 405,000 61 
			 December 2005 674,000 408,000 61 
			 January 2006 683,000 412,000 60 
			 February 2006 692,000 415,000 60 
			 March 2006 703,000 426,000 60 
			  Notes: 1. The above includes those old-scheme cases with a Full Maintenance Assessment, and those new-scheme cases with either a Full Maintenance Calculation, or a Default Maintenance Decision. Old-scheme cases with a punitive Interim Maintenance Assessment are excluded, as are new-scheme cases being processed clerically.  2. Cases are classed as compliant if they are currently open, and have been charged and paid money via the collection service (either regular maintenance and/or arrears), or have a Maintenance Direct arrangement in place over the preceding quarter. 3. Volumes are rounded to the nearest thousand and percentages to nearest whole percent. 4. Robust data from the new IT system (CS2) covering the period March 2003-March 2004 is not currently available, and is under development. Data prior to November 1995 is not currently available.

Equal Pay

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Work and Pensions how many  (a) women and (b) men are employed in the Department; what the average pay was for (i) women and (ii) men in the Department in (1) 1997 and (2) 2006; what women's average pay is as a percentage of men's average pay; and how many (A) women and (B) men the Department employed in each of the last five years, broken down by grade.

Anne McGuire: The information is as follows:
	1. How many women and men are employed in the Department:
	The Cabinet Office collects and publishes annually statistical information on the civil service by Department. This includes data on the employment of men and women.
	2. Average pay for women and men in the Department in 1997 and 2006:
	Table 1 shows the number of men and women by salary band at 31 October 2002, the first period available following the creation of DWP in 2001 and subsequent reorganisations as a result of its formation.
	
		
			  Table 1: DWP Staff by gender on salary bands at 31 October 2002 
			  Salary band  Male  Female  Total 
			 Up to £10,000 3,810 7,043 10,853 
			 £10,001-£15,000 21,154 56,047 77,201 
			 £15,001-£20,000 12,235 27,599 39,834 
			 £20,001-£25,000 3,691 5,737 9,428 
			 £25,001-£30,000 1,255 1,167 2,422 
			 £30,001-£35,000 373 281 654 
			 £35,001-£40,000 272 191 463 
			 £40,001-£45,000 171 107 278 
			 £45,001-£50,000 143 64 207 
			 £50,001-£55,000 54 29 83 
			 £55, 001-£60,000 57 28 85 
			 £60,001-£65,000 22 8 30 
			 £65,001-£70,000 23 9 32 
			 £70,001-£75,000 17 13 30 
			 £75,001 and over 49 13 62 
			 Total 43,326 98,336 141,662 
			 Median salary 14,710 14,710 14,710 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: DWP Staff by gender on salary bands at 31 March 2006 
			  Salary band  Male  Female  Total 
			 Up to £10,000 12 13 25 
			 £10,001-£15,000 14,261 27,780 42,040 
			 £15,001-£20,000 10,345 31,130 41,474 
			 £20,001-£25,000 9,233 20,817 30,050 
			 £25,001-£30,000 3,119 5,020 8,139 
			 £30,001-£35,000 1,123 1,212 2,335 
			 £35,001-£40,000 304 265 569 
			 £40,001-£45,000 305 262 567 
			 £45,001-£50,000 187 145 332 
			 £50,001-£55,000 226 144 370 
			 £55,001-£60,000 97 88 185 
			 £60,001-£65,000 84 48 132 
			 £65,001-£70,000 37 26 63 
			 £70,001-£75,000 34 12 46 
			 £75,001 and over 92 30 122 
			 Total 39,459 86,992 126,451 
			 Median salary 17,248 16,740 16,740 
		
	
	The salaries do not include any allowances or overtime, nor are they adjusted for liabilities such as national insurance, income tax or occupational pension contributions. The numbers are a headcount, that is, all staff are counted as one irrespective of their working pattern.
	The 25 records where salary is below £10,000 (which is below the minimum of the lowest pay scale in DWP) relate to those staff on recurring periodic appointments who are paid manually. The records therefore show their salary as 0.
	3. How many women and men the Department employed in each of the last five years broken down by grade:
	
		
			  Table 3: DWP Staff by responsibility level and gender at 31 March 2006 
			  Salary band  Male  Female  Total 
			 SCS level 165 85 250 
			 Grades 6 and 7 939 725 1,664 
			 SEO and HEO level 4,120 5,648 9,768 
			 EO level 13,228 28,734 41,962 
			 AO and AA level 21,007 51,800 72,807 
			 Total 39,459 86,992 126,451 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: DWP Staff by responsibility level and gender at 31 March 2005 
			  Salary band  Male  Female  Total 
			 SCS level 160 85 245 
			 Grades 6 and 7 966 712 1,678 
			 SEO and HEO level 4,646 6,197 10,843 
			 EO level 13,874 29,661 43,535 
			 AO and AA level 20,611 51,622 72,233 
			 Total 40,257 88,277 128,534 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 5: DWP Staff by responsibility level and gender at 31 March 2004 
			  Salary band  Male  Female  Total 
			 SCS level 154 79 233 
			 Grades 6 and 7 983 715 1,698 
			 SEED and HEO level 4,784 6,379 11,163 
			 EO level 14,391 31,035 45,426 
			 AO and AA level 22,339 56,913 79,252 
			 Total 42,651 95,121 137,772 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 6: DWP Staff by responsibility level and gender at 31 March 2003 
			  Salary band  Male  Female  Total 
			 SCS level 150 74 224 
			 Grades 6 and 7 876 600 1,476 
			 SEIO and HEO level 4,210 5,168 9,378 
			 EO level 14,063 30,216 44,279 
			 AO and AA level 23,049 60,368 83,417 
			 Total 42,348 96,426 138,774 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 7: DWP Staff by responsibility level and gender at 31 March 2002 
			  Salary band  Male  Female  Total 
			 SCS level 125 60 185 
			 Grades 6 and 7 751 501 1,252 
			 SEO and HEO level 4,035 4,727 8,762 
			 EO level 13,200 28,475 41,675 
			 AO and AA level 22,044 59,533 81,577 
			 Total 40,155 93,296 133,451 
		
	
	There are no figures available for 2001 as the DWP was formed in that year. The figures show the staff headcount in the Department on 31 March of each of the years in the table.

Housing Benefit

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on housing benefit for tenants in  (a) council property,  (b) housing association property,  (c) registered social landlord property and  (d) private sector housing in Tamworth constituency in each of the last three years.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested. Expenditure figures are not available broken down by landlord type. The most recent available information is in the table.
	
		
			  Housing benefit gross expenditure in Tamworth borough council, nominal terms 
			  £ million 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Rent Rebate 7.6 7.2 7.3 
			 Rent Allowance 3.8 3.9 4.0 
			  Source: Local authority subsidy claims.

Army Discharge Applications

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many serving soldiers have made an application for discharge; and what the grounds were for each application.

Tom Watson: The following table shows the number of applications, from both regular army officers and other ranks, to leave the Army in each financial year since 1996. Details of the reasons for the applications to leave are not held centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   Applications to leave the Army from:  
			  Financial year  Officers( 1,2)  Other ranks( 2)  Total number of applications to leave the Army 
			 1996-97 490 7,760 8,250 
			 1997-98 550 7,620 8,180 
			 1998-99 520 7,820 8,330 
			 1999-2000 550 7,360 7,910 
			 2000-01 690 7,840 8,530 
			 2001-02 530 7,280 7,810 
			 2002-03 520 6,350 6,870 
			 2002-04 600 6,650 7,250 
			 2004-05 710 7,380 8,090 
			 Total(3) 5,150 66,070 71,220 
			 2006(4) 730 7,090 7,820 
			 (1) Officer numbers comprise applications and resultant exits for premature transfer to the reserve, premature voluntary retirement and voluntary relinquishment or resignation of commission.(2) For certain groups of female personnel, data on exits on marriage or pregnancy grounds are available, but data on applications are not. In these cases, the number of applications in a period has been counted as the number of exits during that period. This affects:(a) Army officers who exit on pregnancy;(b) Army soldiers who exit on marriage or pregnancy.(3) Total is the sum of complete financial years only. March 2006 shows VO applications and exits for 12 months up to 1 March 2006 and is not included within the total.(4) March 2006. Notes:1. UK regular army includes nursing services and excludes full time reserve service personnel, Gurkhas, the home service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment and mobilised reservists.2. Data are for financial years.3. The term premature voluntary release (PVR) has been changed to voluntary outflow (VO) although the methodology remains the same.4. For this purpose, VO is defined as all applications and exits from trained personnel which are generated by the individual before their time expiry.5. Females who leave on pregnancy grounds are included in both VO applications and exits wherever possible. It should be noted that since August 1990, female personnel who are pregnant are no longer required to leave the services, but have an option of either leaving or returning to work after maternity leave. All applications are counted according to the date received in MOD.6. Due to the rounding methods used, totals may not always equal the sum of the parts. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. Source:DASA (Tri-Services)

Pest Control (Iraq)

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the companies which have received contracts from his Department for pest control in the south east region of Iraq.

Tom Watson: The Ministry of Defence has two contractors who provide pest control services to military bases in South Eastern Iraq as part of their operation and maintenance contracts. They are:
	Turners Facilities Management Limited
	Kellogg Brown and Root (UK)

Veterans

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will include a web link and contact details for the Ex-Service Fellowship Centre on the Homeless and Need Help? page on the Veterans' Agency website.

Tom Watson: holding answer 22 May 2006
	The web link and contact details for the Ex-Service Fellowship Centre have been included on the 'Homeless and Need Help' page on Veterans Agency website.

Crown Prosecution Service

David Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General who in the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is responsible for progress on each of the targets set out on page 7 of its Business Plan 2006-07; to whom each person reports; what discussions he has had with stakeholders about implementation of each target; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The CPS headquarters directors responsible for delivering the targets set out on page 7 of the CPS Business Plan 2006-07 are given in the section of the Plan entitled 'Delivering the CPS Priorities for 2006-07.' They all report to the Chief Executive and the Director of Public Prosecutions.
	Regular consultation on the Public Service Agreement and other CPS and Criminal Justice System (CJS) targets is conducted with CJS colleagues, including the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, and with other stakeholders through the work of the National Criminal Justice Board. The Attorney General, the Director of Public Prosecutions and Chief Executive of the CPS and I are members of, and play a full part in, the National Criminal Justice Board.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what facility is available for senior civil servants in his Department to use credit cards supplied by the Department.

Barry Gardiner: The Government Procurement Card (GPC), which is a bespoke commercial Visa Purchasing Card, is available currently to all Departments. The GPC is generally used for the prompt and efficient payment of goods and services across the UK public sector and is also widely used by Government officials (including Senior Civil Servants) for payment of travel and subsistence.
	There are currently in excess of 73,000 GPC's issued across the UK public sector. Additionally, there are currently in excess of 130,000 Government Fuel Cards (GFC's) issued across the UK public sector.
	Defra has 1326 GPC's and 135 GFC's.

Nuclear Waste Storage

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the storage options for nuclear waste; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Storage options for nuclear waste are being assessed by the independent Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM), which was appointed by the Government in November 2003.
	The short list of options that CoRWM is currently assessing are: long-term interim storage; deep geological disposal, phased deep geological disposal and near surface disposal of short-lived decommissioning waste.
	CoRWM have published draft recommendations which are open to public consultation until May26 2006. They are available at:
	http://www.corwm.org.uk/pdf/None%20-%20CoRWMs%20Draft%20Recommendations%2027%20April.pdf
	Storage of nuclear waste is the responsibility of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (the NDA), who will review their strategy in light of CoRWM's recommendations.

Sustainable Development

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how his Department has sought to influence consumption patterns since the publication of 'Securing the Future', the UK Government's Sustainable Development Strategy.

Ian Pearson: Following the publication of 'Securing the Future' on 7 March 2005, we have collated evidence on the environmental impacts arising from households and how to influence patterns of use. A new information service, will offer advice to the public on how to make the most sustainable consumption choices. Our Environmental Action Fund initiative provides support to voluntary projects to influence consumer behaviour.
	The new Round Table on Sustainable Consumption provides advice to Government for actions and policies to create a shift to more sustainable lifestyles. These measures will help the Government to continue to develop sustainable consumption policies. A report on progress will be published in late 2006.

Water

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what  (a) representations he has received and  (b) action he is pursuing in respect of water shortages in South East London.

Ian Pearson: We have received a number of representations about the implications for water supply of the continuing drought in the south-east though few have been from South East London.
	Any projected shortage in water supply this year will be addressed though the relevant water company's drought plan. Drought plans contain mechanisms which trigger a range of actions to be initiated at different times as a drought develops. One of the actions may involve applying to my Department for drought orders to restrict non-essential uses of water, as some companies in the south-east of England have already done. For example, on 15 May 2006 the Secretary of State granted Sutton and East Surrey Water's application for a non-essential use drought order.

Insolvency Service

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will estimate the  (a) outgoings and  (b) revenue of the Official Receiver in the Insolvency Service for each year since 1989; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Prior to 1 April 2004 The Insolvency Service (The Service) was funded on a gross basis and its fees were not set in accordance with HM Treasury Fees and Charges Guide which requires that fees should be set only to recover costs. Changes introduced by the Enterprise Act 2002 led to The Service moving to a net funded regime from 1 April 2004 and since that date fees have been set in accordance with the Fees and Charges Guide.
	Official Receiver's staff carry out both case administration functions that are funded from fees and investigation and enforcement functions that are funded from a DTI programme. However, other staff in The Service also carry out investigation and enforcement functions and the costs are not separately shown to those incurred by Official Receiver's on these activities.
	Prior to The Service becoming an agency in 1990 results were included in the DTI's appropriation accounts. Since 1990-91 Annual Report and Accounts have been published and are available in the Libraries of the House. Annual Reports and Accounts since 2000-01 are also available on The Service's website at www.insolvency.gov.uk.

Court Case Statistics

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of cases were heard in  (a) magistrates courts and  (b) Crown courts in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available in (i) England and Wales and (ii) the Southend area concerning  (A) shoplifting,  (B) theft and  (C) burglary; and what percentage of defendants in each category of crime, were found (1) guilty and(2) not guilty.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is provided in the following tables.
	
		
			  Number and percentage of cases heard at magistrates courts, crown courts and number found guilty at all courts for theft from shops', burglary and total theft, England and Wales 1994-2004( 1) 
			   Magistrates court cases (Percentage)  Crown court cases (Percentage) 
			  Year/Offence  Proceeded against  Heard at magistrates courts  Committed for trial to crown court  Found guilty  Found not guilty ( 2)  Total tried  Found guilty  Found not guilty ( 3) 
			  Theft from shops 
			 1994 60,019 96 4 82 18 2,016 76 24 
			 1995 61,468 97 3 82 18 2,011 76 24 
			 1996 65,220 97 3 83 17 1,954 75 25 
			 1997 69,666 97 3 84 16 2,003 77 23 
			 1998 77,915 98 2 86 14 1,550 74 26 
			 1999 85,491 98 2 87 13 1,379 70 30 
			 2000 89,050 99 1 87 13 1,217 70 30 
			 2001 92,233 99 1 87 13 1,293 72 28 
			 2002 92,664 99 1 87 13 1,192 74 26 
			 2003 86,089 99 1 87 13 1,188 75 25 
			 2004 78,241 99 1 89 11 1,035 76 24 
			  
			  Burglary 
			 1994 59,217 74 26 59 41 13,643 89 11 
			 1995 53,071 75 25 59 41 13,191 89 11 
			 1996 50,241 74 26 58 42 11,971 90 10 
			 1997 49,530 69 31 56 44 13,794 91 9 
			 1998 48,114 77 23 59 41 10,369 85 15 
			 1999 46,141 76 24 60 40 9,572 83 17 
			 2000 42,406 76 24 58 42 9,183 82 18 
			 2001 41,593 75 25 58 42 8,213 82 18 
			 2002 43,648 75 25 60 40 8,570 84 16 
			 2003 41,281 75 25 61 39 8,136 81 19 
			 2004 35,372 75 25 68 32 7,634 83 17 
			  
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 
			 1994 170,901 89 11 70 30 18,129 79 21 
			 1995 159,801 91 9 70 30 17,565 79 21 
			 1996 156,804 92 8 72 28 14,519 79 21 
			 1997 159,085 92 8 73 27 14,049 80 20 
			 1998 164,738 95 5 75 25 10,599 76 24 
			 1999 169,607 96 4 77 23 8,953 74 26 
			 2000 163,966 96 4 77 23 8,117 75 25 
			 2001 163,464 96 4 77 23 7,730 74 26 
			 2002 163,538 96 4 77 23 7,652 78 22 
			 2003 151,725 96 4 78 22 7,611 78 22 
			 2004 134,535 96 4 82 18 7,307 79 21 
			 (1) These data are provided on the principal offence basis(2) Includes defendants discharged and dismissed at magistrates court(3 )Includes defendants acquitted and not tried at crown courts Source: RDS—Office for Criminal Justice Reform 
		
	
	
		
			  Number and percentage of cases heard at magistrates courts, crown courts and number found guilty at all courts for theft from shops', burglary and total theft, South East Essex Local Criminal Justice Area 1994-2004( 1, 2) 
			   Magistrates court cases (Percentage)  Crown court cases (Percentage) 
			  Year/Offence  Proceeded against  Heard at magistrates courts  Committed for trial to crown court  Found guilty  Found not guilty( 3)  Total tried  Found guilty Found not guilty(4) 
			  Theft from shops 
			 1994 337 99 1 84 16 10 60 40 
			 1995 334 98 2 83 17 4 100 0 
			 1996 506 97 3 87 13 2 50 50 
			 1997 515 98 2 90 10 8 63 38 
			 1998 481 98 2 88 12 5 80 20 
			 1999 456 99 1 88 12 5 60 40 
			 2000 454 100 0 88 12 1 100 0 
			 2001 427 100 0 91 9 2 100 0 
			 2002 389 98 2 89 11 3 100 0 
			 2003 384 99 1 92 8 0 — — 
			 2004 302 99 1 90 10 0 — — 
			  
			  Burglary 
			 1994 297 85 15 54 46 42 83 17 
			 1995 254 71 29 66 34 42 95 5 
			 1996 370 73 27 59 41 62 92 8 
			 1997 246 62 38 59 41 85 86 14 
			 1998 248 85 15 64 36 33 76 24 
			 1999 211 78 22 65 35 39 82 18 
			 2000 147 83 17 66 34 31 84 16 
			 2001 157 81 19 63 37 26 85 15 
			 2002 130 82 18 61 39 7 71 29 
			 2003 137 77 23 77 23 9 89 11 
			 2004 125 86 14 73 27 5 100 0 
			  
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 
			 1994 894 90 10 70 30 97 65 35 
			 1995 852 92 8 67 33 103 79 21 
			 1996 1,077 93 7 74 26 48 88 13 
			 1997 1,032 93 7 76 24 71 89 11 
			 1998 893 96 4 75 25 38 87 13 
			 1999 896 97 3 77 23 54 76 24 
			 2000 834 96 4 78 22 33 76 24 
			 2001 771 98 2 78 22 23 91 9 
			 2002 655 97 3 78 22 11 100 0 
			 2003 596 97 3 84 16 8 75 25 
			 2004 499 96 4 83 17 4 75 25 
			 (1 )These data are provided on the principal offence basis(2) Includes all cases which originated from courts in South East Essex(3) Includes defendants discharged and dismissed at magistrates courts(4) Includes defendants acquitted and not tried at crown courts Source: RDS—Office for Criminal Justice Reform

DNA

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many DNA samples taken by police have subsequently been destroyed following a request to do so from the person from whom the DNA was taken, broken down by police authority area; and what percentage of requests to do so this represents.

Joan Ryan: holding answer 22 May 2006
	During the financial year 2005-06, the total number of subject sample profiles which were removed from the Database and the DNA samples destroyed, for all reasons, and broken down by force area is set out in the following table.
	Samples may be destroyed and the profiles removed from the database for a number of reasons, for example, following notification of the death of the individual, because the sample was taken unlawfully or following a request from the individual for his/her profile to be removed. Information on the number of DNA samples which have been destroyed and the profile removed only as a result of a request to do so from the person from whom the DNA was taken, and the total number of such requests received by the police, is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Number of subject sample profiles removed from the DNA database in 2005-06 
			  Police force  Number of profiles removed 
			 Avon and Somerset 1 
			 Bedfordshire 2 
			 British Transport Police 3 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 
			 Cheshire 0 
			 City of London Police 0 
			 Cleveland 3 
			 Cumbria 0 
			 Derbyshire 0 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1 
			 Dorset 1 
			 Durham 0 
			 Dyfed-Powys 1 
			 Essex 2 
			 Gloucestershire 1 
			 Greater Manchester Police 3 
			 Gwent 1 
			 Hampshire 3 
			 Hertfordshire 1 
			 Humberside 1 
			 Kent 3 
			 Lancashire 3 
			 Leicestershire 1 
			 Lincolnshire 4 
			 Merseyside 2 
			 Metropolitan Police 42 
			 Norfolk 1 
			 North Wales 0 
			 North Yorkshire 1 
			 Northamptonshire 0 
			 Northumbria 4 
			 Nottinghamshire 3 
			 South Wales 2 
			 South Yorkshire 4 
			 Staffordshire 2 
			 Suffolk 0 
			 Surrey 0 
			 Sussex 0 
			 Thames Valley 0 
			 Warwickshire 0 
			 West Mercia 0 
			 West Midlands 4 
			 West Yorkshire 3 
			 Wiltshire 8 
			 Total 111

Identity Card Register

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the feasibility of the integration of the proposed Identity Card Register with the IT systems of Government Departments.

Joan Ryan: The Identity and Passport Service continues to work with key Government Departments to fully map and plan the realisation of potential benefits that the National Identity Scheme will offer for their operations. As part of this work, Departments are assessing where the greatest benefits will arise through the use of the scheme and the consequences for their own systems. Indeed, not all services will require a high degree of integration between the ID Cards Scheme and other IT systems and in a number of cases, any necessary changes will be integrated in the usual planned cycle of system upgrades and technology refresh.
	It is important to note that no Department will gain direct access to the National Identity Register itself. Instead, the Identity Cards Act 2006 provides that accredited Government organisations would be permitted, subject to certain conditions, to request information about an individual from the National Identity Register through a service run by Identity and Passport Service.

Prisons

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what correspondence he has had with the Prison Officers Association on industrial relations in HM Prison Service in the last 12 months;
	(2)  who the principal point of contact is for correspondence between his Department and its agencies and the Prison Officers Association;
	(3)  how industrial action is defined under paragraph 7 of the Joint Industrial Relations Procedural Agreement with the Prison Officers Association;
	(4)  if he will list occasions since 1994 on which his Department and its agencies have  (a) taken injunctive action and  (b) threatened to take injunctive action against the Prison Officers Association.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Home Secretary has corresponded on a regular basis with the Prison Officers Association (POA) in response to issues raised by them which affect the management of industrial relations across the Prison Service, including: on pay reform linked to the announcement of the Isle of Sheppey market test; the International Labour Organisation ruling on section 127 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994; Prison Service trade unions and POA industrial action. In addition, the Home Secretary has met the POA either at dedicated meetings or by attendance at joint conferences on six occasions in the last 12 months.
	The principal point of contact for correspondence between the public sector Prison Service and the Prison Officers Association is Phil Wheatley, the director general.
	Industrial action as defined under paragraph 7 of the Joint Industrial Relations Procedural Agreement with the POA is
	"any actions by one or more individuals, which affects, or attempts to affect, the normal working or performance of the Prison Service".
	There have been a total of five occasions where it has been necessary to seek injunctions and a further eight occasions where injunctive relief has been threatened in response to POA actions. Further details are contained in the following table.
	
		
			  Summary of injunctions and threatened injunctive action by the public sector Prison Service in England and Wales on the Prison Officers Association since 1994 
			  Date injunction issued  Date injunctive action threatened  Issue 
			 Two injunctions court hearing November 1994 — 1. Injunction brought against the Preston POA Branch following a lockout 
			  — 2. Injunction against the POA general secretary due to a dispute about whether prison officers were or were not "workers" 
			
			  June 1996 To prevent further unauthorised meetings held by POA branches in protest against staffing and cost reductions 
			
			 November 1998 — To prevent unauthorised POA branch meetings being held to discuss industrial action over pay 
			
			 January 1999 — To prevent unlawful POA branch meetings to discuss industrial action over pay 
			
			  August 2000 To prevent further unauthorised POA branch meetings following decision to market test HMP Brixton and threat of industrial action 
			
			  February 2002 Threat of injunction served on several prisons to prevent withdrawal of goodwill following announcement of pay award 
			
			 February 2002 — Injunction served on the POA National Executive Committee and HMP Holme House due to continued withdrawal of goodwill following announcement of pay award 
			
			  July 2002 HMP Kingston local POA branch threat of industrial action regarding a dispute over demarcation of duties 
			
			  August 2003 HMP Styal threat of industrial action by the local POA branch 
			
			  January 2004 Threat of industrial action on a national scale in protest over dispute about provision of protection allocated to Northern Irish Prison Officers 
			
			  May 2005 Unlawful POA branch meeting at HMYOI Onley over a dispute about the free flow of juveniles within the prison 
			
			  February 2006 Release of POA circular advising POA members not to engage with the PS job evaluation and listen to improve schemes 
			 Total: 5 Total: 8

Amendments to Legislation

David Amess: To ask the Leader of the House if he will list the occasions when an amendment has been moved by  (a) a Labour backbencher,  (b) an Opposition backbencher and (c) an Opposition front bench spokesman to a Bill sponsored by his Department that has been accepted by his Department during the current session; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons has not sponsored any Bills during the current session.

Small Change Big Difference Campaign

Anne Milton: To ask the Leader of the House what steps his Department has taken following the launch of the Government's Small Change Big Difference Campaign.

Jack Straw: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons comes within the administrative responsibility of the Privy Council Office. No specific steps have yet been taken by the Department following the publication of this document.

Tatenhill Airfield Planning Application

Janet Dean: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps she is taking to ensure effective and timely consultation with local communities on current planning application (CR/20723/010) for the development of Tatenhill Airfield.

Hilary Armstrong: The Duchy is committed to the regeneration and extension of Tatenhill Airfield.
	The current planning application was made following a public enquiry into the Draft Local Plan for East Staffordshire borough council in 2005 and the subsequent Planning Inspector's Report in spring 2006 which accepted the Duchy's policy.
	No objections to the proposals were submitted during the enquiry and the local authority has agreed to adopt all the recommendations of the inspector within the Local Plan, including those relating to Tatenhill Airfield.
	Mr. Clarke, the Chief Executive of the Duchy, has met with the local planning authority and attended the annual general meeting of the Tatenhill parish council to explain what was proposed and answer queries. A public statement outlining the proposal was also issued to the planning authority in a supplementary planning statement, which was circulated to all parish councils in the area.

Average Incomes

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the average income per person in  (a) Cornwall and  (b) the UK.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 24 May 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about average income in Cornwall, and the UK. (72776).
	Figures for average incomes per person for Cornwall and the UK are shown in the table. These were published on 9 May 2006. Gross disposable household income (GDHI) is the amount of money that households have available for consumption expenditure or saving Total household incomes represent the total amount of money households receive before any deductions. Regional GDHI data are available on the National Statistics website at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=7359.
	The statistics used are national accounts series for the combined household and non-profit institutions serving households sectors. Estimates for households alone are not available.
	
		
			  Average Incomes per Capita( 1) 
			   Gross Disposable Household Income (GDHI) (£)  Total Incomes( 2)  (£) 
			   Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly  United Kingdom  Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly  United Kingdom 
			 1995 7,783 8,602 11,234 12,296 
			 1996 8,191 9,088 11,687 12,866 
			 1997 8,562 9,625 12,088 13,461 
			 1998 8,769 9,938 12,653 14,149 
			 1999 9,101 10,390 13,009 14,820 
			 2000 9,609 10,971 13,798 15,745 
			 2001 10,294 11,643 14,589 16,631 
			 2002 10,637 11,971 15,023 17,120 
			 2003 11,166 12,500 15,744 17,920 
			 2004 11,508 12,840 16,477 18,638 
			 ( 1)  Population denominator is Mid-Year estimate, for total population.( 2)  All household income including employers' social contributions, imputed social contributions, social benefits and other current transfers received. Note: Data are presented for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly combined. These data cannot be disaggregated in to the two constituent areas.

Bills

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the occasions when an amendment has been moved by  (a) a Labour backbencher,  (b) an Opposition backbencher and  (c) an Opposition front bench spokesman to a Bill sponsored by his Department, that has been accepted by his Department during the 2005-06 session; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: Treasury Ministers have introduced the following Bills during the present session:
	National Insurance Contributions Bill;
	Finance Bill;
	Finance (No.2) Bill.
	Information on amendments moved and accepted during the Committee and Report Stage on these Bills is published in the Official Report.

EU Finance

Peter Bone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the UK's  (a) rebate from and  (b) gross contribution to the European Union is calculated; and how the formula was used to arrive at the latest available year's figure in each case.

Edward Balls: Details of the UK abatement calculation are given on page 30 of the European Community Finances White Paper (Cm 6770) which was laid before Parliament earlier today. The UK's gross contribution is determined in accordance with the Own Resources Decision (ORD) (Council Decision 20007597/EC, EURATOM of 29 September 2000), details of which can be found on page 7 of Cm 6770. The ORD lays down the four sources of Community revenue, or own resources, details of which are given on page 31 of Cm 6770. The UK's annual contribution to the EC Budget, i.e. the gross contribution minus the UK abatement, is calculated in accordance with these arrangements.

GDP Statistics

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the gross domestic product per capita of  (a) Cornwall,  (b) the UK and  (c) the EU was; and what the current European average is.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 24 May 2006:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita estimates for Cornwall, UK, and EU (72774).
	The ONS publishes estimates of Gross Value Added (GVA) rather than GDP at a regional level. The two measures are broadly similar, though direct comparisons are not possible.
	The table contains estimates of GVA per capita for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and to UK as well as GDP per capita for the UK, EU15 and EU25. Data are shown for the period 1995-2003.
	
		
			  Gross Value Added/Gross Domestic Product per capita( 1 2) 
			  Gross Value Added(3) Gross Domestic Product 
			   Cornwall and Isles of Scilly( 4) (£)  United Kingdom (£)  United Kingdom(£)  EU15( 3)  (€)  EU25( 5 ) (€) 
			 1995 6,724 11,015 12,379 18,000 15,500 
			 1996 7,275 11,699 13,127 18,900 16,300 
			 1997 7,432 12,347 13,900 19,800 17,200 
			 1998 7,749 13,056 14,716 20,700 17,900 
			 1999 8,018 13,622 15,429 21,700 18,800 
			 2000 8,534 14,290 16,194 23,100 20,100 
			 2001 9,164 14,944 16,862 23,800 20,800 
			 2002 9,971 15,691 17,674 24,500 21,500 
			 2003 10,518 16,485 18,570 24,800 21,700 
			 (1) Population denominator is Mid-Year estimates for total population. (2) Cornwall and UK data in £ stg. EU15 and EU25 data in Euro. (3) Gross Value Added (GVA) is Gross Domestic Product (GDP) less taxes (plus subsidies) on products. These data are current price estimates which are not adjusted for changes in prices over time. (4) Data are presented for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly combined. These data cannot be disaggregated in to the two constituent areas. (5) Gross Domestic Product per head as published by Eurostat.

HM Revenue and Customs

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average waiting time for callers to the HM Revenue and Customs tax return phone helpline was in each of the last 24 months for which figures are available; on how many occasions in each month no lines were available to callers; and how many call staff were available in each month.

Dawn Primarolo: The following table shows the average waiting time for callers to the self-assessment helpline, and also the number of calls receiving an engaged tone since May 2004.
	
		
			   Month  Average wait  Engaged( 1)  (thousands) 
			 2004 May 0:01:28 205 
			  June 0:01:18 172 
			  July 0:01:14 128 
			  August 0:01:23 43 
			  September 0:01:41 339 
			  October 0:00:44 37 
			  November 0:00:33 6 
			  December 0:00:35 24 
			  January 0:00:46 299 
			  February 0:00:50 8 
			  March 0:00:58 8 
			 2005 April 0:01:36 18 
			  May 0:01:55 44 
			  June 0:01:40 21 
			  July 0:01:19 25 
			  August 0:02:37 39 
			  September 0:02:52 176 
			  October 0:00:37 2 
			  November 0:00:21 1 
			  December 0:00:20 5 
			  January 0:01:10 367 
			  February 0:00:36 5 
			  March 0:01:10 28 
			  April 0:01:22 10 
			 (1) Call attempts where the caller was played an engaged tone, before they were placed in a queue to speak to an adviser. 
		
	
	Helpline advisers are not allocated exclusively to the self-assessment helpline and it would only be possible to disaggregate resource allocated to this helpline from other types of call at disproportionate cost.,

Ministerial Visits (Accommodation)

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  on how many occasions  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers in his Department have stayed overnight in (i) five star, (ii) four star and (iii) three star hotels in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what the total cost was of overnight accommodation for  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers in his Department staying overnight in (i) mainland Great Britain, (ii) Northern Ireland, (iii) the Republic of Ireland and (iv) other countries in each of the last three years;
	(3)  what the total cost was of overnight accommodation for Treasury Ministers on foreign visits in each of the last three years;
	(4)  on how many occasions Treasury Ministers stayed overnight in  (a) five star,  (b) four star and (c) three star hotels on foreign visits in each of the last three years;
	(5)  what discounts are available in relation to hotel accommodation used by  (a) civil servants and (b) special advisers in his private office.

John Healey: In relation to the total costsof Ministers' and special advisers' overnight accommodation costs, I refer to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Keith Vaz) on 16 March 2006,  Official Report, column 2411W. The total cost of subsistence for the Treasury in the last three financial years was as follows. The figures include Ministers special advisers and civil servants, and meals as well as overnight accommodation costs.
	
		
			  £000 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Subsistence in the UK 85 78 72 
			 Subsistence overseas 237 272 323 
		
	
	Further details, including analysis of costs by destination and by class of hotel, could be provided only at disproportionate cost. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the "Ministerial Code", the "Civil Service Management Code" and the "Code of Conduct for Special Advisers", which include requirements for travel arrangements to be efficient and cost-effective.
	Our hotel providers use their purchasing power to negotiate better rates and room allocations for its Government clients. These arrangements are available to all staff, both civil servants and special advisers.

Parliamentary Questions

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 15 February 2006,  Official Report, column 2163W, on written parliamentary questions, how many written questions have been submitted to his Department in each year since 1997; and how many questions each Minister in his Department has answered.

John Healey: As the former Economic Secretary said in his earlier reply, written answers are usually given by the Minister with named responsibility for the issue concerned.
	The information requested in respect of each complete parliamentary Session since 1997-98 is given in the table:
	
		
			  Minister  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Chancellor 224 42 17 10 40 17 13 14 
			 Chief Secretary 368 125 271 152 921 628 298 94 
			 Paymaster General 258 671 1,054 510 1453 1,082 896 486 
			 Financial Secretary 1,517 191 448 145 1,716 1,247 1,480 797 
			 Economic Secretary 1,611 1,055 1,037 471 1,785 976 651 111 
			 Total 3,978 2,084 2,827 1,288 5,915 3,950 3,338 1,502

Population Statistics (Hartlepool)

Iain Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many single parent households with children under the age of 16 years there were in the Hartlepool constituency in each of the last 15 years;
	(2)  how many single-person households there were in the Hartlepool constituency in each of the last 15 years;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the number of cohabiting couples living in Hartlepool constituency in each of the past 15 years.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 24 May 2006:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your requests for the following figures for the Hartlepool constituency: the number of single parent households with children under 16 years of age in the past 15 years; the number of single person households since 1990; and, the number of cohabiting couples in the past 15 years. (72598, 72599 and 72603)
	Estimates of these figures are not produced on an annual basis for local areas. Available figures are from the censuses of 1991 and 2001. These are shown in the table below.
	
		
			  Numbers of lone parent households with dependent children aged under 16( 1)  one person households( 2)  and cohabiting couples in households( 3) : Hartlepool, 1991 and 2001 
			   1991  2001 
			 1. Lone parent households with dependent children aged under 16 1,793 2,992 
			 2. One person households 9,172 11,413 
			 3. Number of couples in households: Cohabiting (4)788 3,273 
			 (1 )Source: 1991 Census Local Base Statistics Table 32 and 2001 Census data. (2) Source: Table F in the Census 1991 New Parliamentary Constituency Monitor North East and Table KS20 in the Census 2001 Report for Parliamentary Constituencies. (3) Source: 1991 and 2001 Census data. (4) In 1991 responses to relationship questions were only processed for approximately 10 per cent. of the population. The figures in this table have been grossed up by a factor of 10.16 to account for this.

Population Statistics (Hartlepool)

Iain Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many marriages took place in the Hartlepool constituency in each year since 1990.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 24 May 2006:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking for the number of marriages that have taken place in the Hartlepool constituency since 1990. (72600)
	The table below shows the number of marriages that took place in the Hartlepool Registration District from 1990 to 2003, the latest year available. It should be noted that place of marriage does not necessarily denote place of last, current or future residence.
	
		
			  Marriages in Hartlepool( 1)  Registration District 1990-2003 
			   Marriages 
			 1990 633 
			 1991 509 
			 1992 547 
			 1993 524 
			 1994 486 
			 1995 447 
			 1996 463 
			 1997 409 
			 1998 409 
			 1999 430 
			 2000 418 
			 2001 411 
			 2002 365 
			 2003 386 
			 (1 )Known as North Cleveland Registration District until 1995

Population Statistics (Hartlepool)

Iain Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many divorces took place in the Hartlepool constituency in each year since 1990.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 24 May 2006:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking for the number of divorces that have taken place in the Hartlepool constituency since 1990. (72601)
	The number of divorces that took place at the Court Service in Hartlepool is shown from 1992 to 2003, the latest year available, in the table below. Data is not readily available for 1990 and 1991. It should be noted that place of divorce does not necessarily denote place of last, current or future residence.
	
		
			  Divorces at Hartlepool Court 1992-2003 
			   Divorces 
			 1992 610 
			 1993 536 
			 1994 530 
			 1995 545 
			 1996 477 
			 1997 425 
			 1998 459 
			 1999 446 
			 2000 387 
			 2001 412 
			 2002 379 
			 2003 493

Private Members' Bills

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list those private Member' Bills in respect of which his Department has adopted a policy of neutrality in each session since 2001-02; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The information is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Tax Credit Overpayments

Richard Spring: To ask The Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people living in West Suffolk received overpayments of  (a) child tax credit and  (b) working tax credit in each of the last five years.

Jim Sheridan: To ask The Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in Paisley and Renfrewshire North received overpayment of  (a) working tax credit and  (b) child tax credit in 2005.

Dawn Primarolo: Child and Working Tax Credits were only introduced in April 2003.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Mid-Bedfordshire (Mrs. Dorries) on 10 October 2005,  Official Report, column 322W.
	Estimates for 2004-05 of the numbers of in-work families with tax credits awards, including information on overpayments and underpayments by constituency, based on final family circumstances and incomes for 2004-05 are due to be published on 31 May 2006.
	We do not produce statistics separately for child and working tax credits.

Tax Revenues

Matthew Taylor: To ask The Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Government raised in tax revenues from Cornwall in each of the last five years.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 24 May 2006
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the amount of tax revenue raised in Cornwall per annum. (72721)
	The ONS publishes regional estimates of Gross Disposable Household Income (GDHI) which include data for taxes on incomes and wealth paid by households. Regional estimates for expenditure based taxes and duties, for example VAT, are not available. Taxes paid by corporations are also unavailable on a regional basis.
	Table A contains estimates of household taxes paid by residents of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly from 1995 to 2004.
	
		
			  Table A: Taxes generated per annum 
			  £ million( 1, 2) 
			   Cornwall and Isles of Scilly( 3) 
			 1995 510 
			 1996 507 
			 1997 508 
			 1998 581 
			 1999 613 
			 2000 659 
			 2001 700 
			 2002 712 
			 2003 735 
			 2004 803 
			 (1 )These data are at current prices. They are not deflated to account for increases in prices over time. Regional data are not available on a constant price (deflated) basis.(2) These estimates are taken from the most recent release of regional GDHI data, published on May 9 2006.(3) Data are presented for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly combined. These data cannot be disaggregated in the two constituent areas.

Tax Revenues

David Mundell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to change the system by which HM Revenue and Customs measures actual tax revenue receipts from the nations and regions of the United Kingdom.

Dawn Primarolo: There are no plans to change the system by which HM Revenue and Customs measures actual tax revenue receipts from the nations and regions of the United Kingdom.
	Systems for recording HMRC tax revenue receipts are dependent on the administrative arrangement for the various taxes. For example some taxes are collected from businesses although the liabilities are borne by individuals (e.g. PAYE) and the location of the office making the payment may not be the same as the physical location of the business. One PAYE payment scheme can cover units located throughout the country.
	Geographical information is therefore only routinely available for income tax in terms of the liabilities of individuals based on their tax records which include addresses.
	Although HMRC hold information on registered company addresses, companies normally operate in many locations and it is not possible to split each company's tax liability between their activity in different geographical areas. Furthermore corporation tax is charged on total profits of a company, including income received from abroad, and a company may surrender tax losses to another company in the same group anywhere in the United Kingdom.

VAT Registration

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints  (a) he and  (b) HM Revenue and Customs have received about the time taken to process VAT registration applications since 1 March 2006.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs estimate is that around 170 complaints about the time taken to process VAT registration applications were received between 1 March 2006 and 19 May 2006.

VAT Registration

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what target HM Revenue and Customs has set for the time taken to process VAT registration applications.

Dawn Primarolo: Revenue and Customs aim to process complete and accurate registration applications within 21 days following receipt, although in cases where the application is incomplete and additional information is required, processing times can be longer.

Bangladesh

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make representations to the Government of Bangladesh on its treatment of religious minorities; and whether she is monitoring the performance of Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI) and Isalmi Dikyo Jote (IDJ) within the Government of Bangladesh.

Kim Howells: The persecution of religious and ethnic minorities including the Ahmadiyyas, Hindus, Christians and indigenous groups is a serious issue in Bangladesh. Our High Commission in Dhaka is actively engaged in promoting human rights in Bangladesh and raises human rights issues with the Government of Bangladesh on a regular basis, and provides funding to non-governmental organisations for human rights programmes. We take all available opportunities to underline the UK's commitment to support human rights in Bangladesh during discussions with senior Government representatives, human rights campaigners and representatives of religious and ethnic minorities, and will continue to do so. During a visit to Bangladesh in November 2005, I underlined the UK's commitment to support human rights in Bangladesh during discussions with senior Government representatives, human rights campaigners and representatives of religious and ethnic minorities. We shall continue to seek out opportunities to raise our concerns.
	We take a close a close interest in Jammat-e-Islami and Islami Oikya Jote and maintain a constructive dialogue with them and all other Bangladeshi parties that participate in the democratic process. We continue to urge the Government and the opposition to engage in constructive dialogue on the key steps to ensure a level playing field, and free and fair and peaceful elections in January 2007 with full participation. We believe that a healthy democracy, improved human rights and a reduction in corruption offer the best route to combating extremism in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make representations to the Government of Bangladesh on meeting its obligations under the Chittagong Hill Trusts Peace Accord.

Kim Howells: A team of EU diplomats visited the Chittagong Hill Tracts in November 2005. Our High Commission in Dhaka led the visit as EU presidency. The team's broad conclusion on this specific subject was that the Land Disputes Resolution Commission was not operating at a level necessary to facilitate effective implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord. Problems included the complex procedures for lodging claims. The team found that the Commission was not receiving many cases for adjudication and of these few were being concluded. Local confidence in the Commission was low.
	Following the team's visit the British High Commissioner in Dhaka, as EU presidency, wrote to the Government of Bangladesh on citing the urgent need to improve implementation of the Peace Accord, including the operation of the Land Disputes Resolution Commission. The subject of the Peace Accord was subsequently raised during an EU troika visit at the start of 2006 and at the recent EC-Bangladesh Joint Commission
	A member of the British High Commission in Dhaka has just returned from a visit to the Chittagong Hill Tracts. I have asked officials to inform my hon. Friend separately of the findings of that visit.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her most recent assessment is of  (a) the situation and  (b) stability in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The security situation remains fragile in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Civilians continue to suffer abuses by armed groups, including ill disciplined elements within the Congolese army (FARDC).
	The UN peacekeeping mission (MONUC) continues to conduct operations to disarm militias and to disrupt the activities of foreign armed groups. We commend the combined efforts of MONUC and the FARDC which resulted in the detention of two prominent militia leaders, Kyunga Matanga and Innocent Kahina, in the last week. We continue to urge regional governments to work together to disarm these groups.
	The DRC peace process remains a UK priority and we are committed to promoting forthcoming democratic elections and encouraging the new government to take an inclusive and representative approach.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans she has to visit the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kim Howells: Foreign engagements for my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and other Ministers are kept under constant review. It is not our practice to announce such visits until they are firm. Because of the unpredictable nature of world events, final decisions on overseas visits are often not possible until very shortly before the day of travel.

Information Technology

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the  (a) originally estimated,  (b) most recently estimated and  (c) outturn cost was in each of the five largest information technology contracts agreed with outside suppliers over the last five years.

Geoff Hoon: The information requested is provided in the table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Contract  Original estimate  Most recent estimate  Outturn 
			 Future Firecrest—Hewlett Packard 183.5 187.5 (1,2)21 .3 
			 Prism—Cap Gemini Ernst and Young 53.1 78 (1,2)58.4 
			 Focus—Fujitsu Consulting 10.5 (3)— 7.5 
			 FCO Website Internet Project—Logica CMG 6.5 12.2 (1,2)11.7 
			 Biometric Passports—3M UK Plc 6.5 6.5 (1)— 
			 (1) Not yet known. (2) Spent so far. (3) Contract ended March 2003.

Pensions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what percentage of staff in her Department are making additional voluntary contributions to their pension.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth have3 per cent. of staff making additional voluntary contributions per month: 193 officers out of a headcount of 6,117. The following is a breakdown of the different schemes:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Equitable Life 52 
			 Scottish Widows 116 
			 Standard Life 25 
			 Total 193

Alzheimer's Disease

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of how many people have Alzheimer's disease, broken down by (a) strategic health authority and  (b) primary care trust; what forecast she has made of the number of new cases each year and incidence over the next (i) 20 and (ii) 30 years; and what estimate she has made of the incidence in other EU countries;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the total cost of  (a) treating and  (b) caring for people with Alzheimer's disease; and what forecast she has made of the future trends of this figure.

Ivan Lewis: No assessment has been undertaken by the Department about the total cost and future trends of treating and caring for people with Alzheimer's disease.
	Dementia currently affects over 750,000 people in the United Kingdom (UK). It is estimated that by 2026 there will be 840,000 people with dementia in the UK, rising to 1.2 million by 2050. The Department has not made such an estimate of incidence of Alzheimer's disease in other European Union countries
	Information on the number of people with Alzheimer's disease, broken down by strategic health authority (SHA) and primary care trust (PCT) is not available but information on the number of people in England admitted to hospital where Alzheimer's disease was a diagnosis in SHA and PCTs is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Count of patients admitted to hospital with Alzheimer's disease as a diagnosis by SHA and PCT—Data for all national health service hospitals in England, data years 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05 
			   Data year  
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  Total 
			 SHA total patients 19,442 21,575 24,253 65,270 
			 PCT total patients 19,442 21,575 24,253 65,270 
			  Notes:ICD—10 codes used: G30 Alzheimer's disease (as provided by Data Standards, Connecting for Health)FCEs—finished consultant episodesAll diagnoses count of episodes:These figures represent a count of all FCEs where the diagnosis was mentioned in any of the 14 (seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in a HES record. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for health and social care

Bone Marrow Donation

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the merits of raising the upper age limit for bone marrow donation; and what plans she has to encourage UK registries to reach a consensus on this matter.

Caroline Flint: The NHS Blood and transplant is currently considering this issue with the Anthony Nolan Trust and the Welsh Blood Service.

Disabled People (Assessments)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) maximum and  (b) average amount of time was that a person with a disability had to wait to be assessed for assistance from social services in Sefton in the last two years.

Ivan Lewis: Information on the maximum and average amount of time that a person with a disability is not collected centrally.
	It is for local social services departments to prioritise assessments for people with disabilities, based on need.

Ex-service Personnel

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the NHS provides  (a) treatment and  (b) resources specifically for ex-service personnel following injury or illness while serving in the armed forces.

Caroline Flint: The national health service is responsible for the medical care of ex-service personnel, provided the individual is entitled to residency in the United Kingdom, on the same basis as any other member of the public.
	Guidance issued by the Department in 2004 states that for those leaving the armed services with significant or debilitating illness or injury, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) should engage with the relevant primary care trust to ensure a seamless transfer of care between that managed by the MOD and that to be provided by the NHS.
	The full text of the guidance 'Health Service Guidance covering Arrangements between the Ministry of Defence and the NHS' is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/11/37/68/04113768.pdf.

General Practitioners

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioner surgeries in (a) England and (b) Hackney North and Stoke Newington are operating appointment booking systems by which appointments may only be booked a certain maximum time in advance.

Ivan Lewis: The Department is continuing to work with strategic health authorities to get primary care trusts (PCTs) to ensure their general practices offer patients flexible as well as fast access.
	In support of this aim, the Department collects information each month from PCTs on the appointment arrangements operated by their practices. In April 2006, there were 20 practices nationally whose PCTs reported that they do not allow patients to book more than two days in advance. A further 126 practices did not have any appointment system in place.
	Hackney North and Stoke Newington is served by City and Hackney PCT and Haringey PCT. The former reported one practice and the latter two practices without appointment systems. Otherwise, both PCTs reported that their practices allow patients to book ahead.
	A new independent national patient experience survey will be introduced in 2006-07 which will incentivise practices making accessing a general practitioner easier, with rewards linked directly with patients' experiences of how their practice is improving.

Hospital Appointments

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2006, on hospital appointments, what other systems send messages through the care record spine; how the costs associated with the spine are accounted for; and what the  (a) set-up costs and  (b) annual running costs of the spine are.

Caroline Flint: The spine is the colloquial name given to the national database of key information about patients' health and care. It forms the core of the national health service care records service. It also supports other key programmes of the national programme for information technology, such as choose and book the electronic prescriptions service (EPS), and general practitioner (GP) to GP record transfer, each of them using the spine's messaging capabilities as part of their own services.
	Choose and book daily registers in excess of 150,000 message transactions from almost 36,000 referring clinicians, and over 360,000 bookings have been made to date. Nearly 1.2 million prescriptions have already been processed through EPS. Almost 400 general practices are currently generating electronic prescription messages and over 800 general practices have had their systems upgraded in preparation for going live. About 1,500 pharmacies have now had their systems upgraded to enable them to receive electronic prescription messages.
	The spine has a number of applications, including:
	personal demographics service (PDS), which holds nationally demographic information for every patient covered by the NHS in England, accessible through local systems, and is currently processing message transactions at a rate of over nine million per month;
	spine directory services, which holds reference data such as users and locations. 220,000 users are now registered; almost 45,000 currently access the system on any given day;
	access control framework, which registers and authenticates users, including patients, and provides a single log-in and a record of each professional accessing a NHS care record;
	transaction messaging system, which processes and routes data messages, for example, from a GP to a hospital or from one GP to another.
	These four elements went live on time and to budget in July 2004 to support choose and book.
	Other planned applications are:
	secondary uses service (SUS), providing the NHS with high quality data to enable investigation of trends and emerging health needs which can inform public health policy. The data extracted will provide information to support performance improvement and assessment, clinical audit and governance, monitoring and benchmarking, surveillance, research and planning;
	personal spine information service (PSIS), providing personal health information for a patient, for example, drug allergies, details of operations and/or conditions, medication history, pathology, radiology and other results, as well as a summary of contacts with care providers;
	clinical spine application (CSA), allowing patient information on the spine to be viewed on a personal computer; users will be able to view and update patient information.
	The first stage of SUS went live in June 2005 to support payment by results, and is already processing around half a million message transactions a month. PSIS and CSA are due for piloting in 2007, with rollout expected in early 2008.
	Picture archiving and communications (PACS) implementations in 2007 include plans to integrate to elements of the spine such as PDS. Currently there are 31 live national programme PACS systems, with over 27 million images stored.
	A total of 5,647 GP systems, 253 pharmacy systems, and over 100 patient administrations systems are currently linked to and regularly using the spine. These systems have already achieved compliance, and around 70 or so systems are in test at various development stages across the programme. Interface standards are made available to all suppliers, as well as published more widely. The standards have been developed to reflect internationally-recognised standards, and in conjunction with the programme's major suppliers.
	Use of the spine will continue to develop over the life of the programme to deliver the full set of planned patient benefits and clinical improvements to the NHS.
	Costs associated with the spine are accounted for by the NHS Connecting for Health agency of the Department which is responsible for delivering the programme and for managing programme contracts. Set-up (capital) costs are incurred in phases as functionality is added to the spine through staged software releases over the implementation period. They are expected to total £335 million on completion. The ongoing service (revenue) costs average around£45 million a year, although this falls in a range between £30 to £60 million in any particular year. These sums are in line with the contracted value of the work concerned, and represent an investment of roughly one pound per NHS patient per year over the life of the contract.

Independent Treatment Centres

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the  (a) cost-effectiveness and  (b) quality of patient care in independent sector treatment centres.

Ivan Lewis: Value for money has been ensured by running a robust and competitive procurement process, and by benchmarking procedure prices between contracts and comparing them to the national health service equivalent cost and the prices paid by the NHS to the independent sector under spot purchase arrangements.
	The National Centre for Health Outcomes Development (NCHOD) published a preliminary report on four independent sector treatment centre schemes in October 2005. The NCHOD audit is based on some of the 26 key performance indicators that independent sector providers are contractually obliged to collect in order to monitor clinical quality, patient experience, and productivity of services. The preliminary report is available at the NCHOD's website at www.nchod.nhs.uk. A further report is expected later this year, In addition, as announced by the Secretary of State on 26 April, the Healthcare Commission will be undertaking an audit of independent sector treatment centres.

IT Reviews

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the statement from her Department of 10 April 2006 that the national programme for IT is under constant review and audit, with what frequency such reviews and audits are conducted; if she will list the bodies that  (a) have conducted,  (b) are conducting and  (c) plan to conduct such reviews and audits; and if she will place in the Library a list of required actions that have resulted from those reviews and audits conducted.

Caroline Flint: The national programme has been subject from its inception to the Office of Government Commence (OGC) Gateway process. Gateway reviews have been, and continue to be, undertaken at each of the standard stages throughout the development of every project within the programme, and of its cluster-based deployment activity from initiation to live running. A similar annual and ongoing programme of audit reviews has been and continues to be carried out by the Department's internal auditors. A National Audit Office (NAO) value for money study into choice at the point of referral which reported in January 2005, involved close scrutiny of the work of the national programme and specifically the choose and book programme. The report on a further NAO study into wider aspects of the programme has yet to be published, and this has included an independent review of programme management capability. In addition, the programme's own quality management function undertakes a broad range of reviews and audits of specific aspects of programme, cluster and supplier activity on an ongoing basis.
	A number of independent reviews have been commissioned under contract, including one commissioned from McKinsey to inform the approach before the start of the programme, and from other suppliers to establish the value for the national health service and taxpayer achieved through the contracts and to examine specific aspects such as disaster recovery. In addition, there is ongoing review by transparent discussion with key stakeholder groups including the British Medical Association and through consultation initiated by the care record development board.
	OGC Gateway reports and other reports have been provided in confidence in order not to impair the value of the advice they contain and to protect commercial confidentiality. We have no plans to publish the outcome of these reports. Given the number of reviews and audits concerned, extraction of recommendations in each case could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Care

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what representations she has received on retaining ring-fenced funding for primary care trusts for the provision of myalgic encephalomyelitis support services; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps her Department is taking to support people with myalgic  (a) encephalomyelitis and  (b) encephalopathy;
	(3)  what funding the Government have allocatedto continuing specialist services for myalgic  (a) encephalomyelitis and  (b) encephalopathy; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  what advice her Department plans to issue to primary care trusts on funding for specialist services for myalgic  (a) encephalomyelitis and  (b) encephalopathy in 2006-07;
	(5)  what support her Department provides for patients with myalgic  (a) encephalomyelitis and  (b) encephalopathy who are (i) bed and (ii) house bound and unable to attend the newly developed specialist services; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: People with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis/encephalopathy (CFS/ME) have access to the full range of health and social services support as outlined in the national service framework for long-term conditions (the NSF). This includes:
	Joint health and social care plans that change over time and consider other needs such as housing, transport, benefits, education, careers advice, employment and leisure;
	Access to a broad range of services, including rehabilitation, equipment, accommodation and personal care to help people live as independently as possible at home; and
	Support to help people to work or take up other vocational opportunities.
	The £8.5 million budget to establish new CFS/ME services has supported the development of 13 clinical network co-ordinating centres (CIMCCs) and 36 local multidisciplinary teams (LMDTs), as well as 11 specialist children and young people teams across England.
	The role of the LMDTs is to lead the development of services within primary and secondary care to support general practitioners and other relevant professionals in the care of the patient. In this respect, LMDTs are expected to develop networks of local domiciliary services, including health education and social services, to support those more severely affected, including those who are housebound and bed bound and are therefore unable to access services.
	Funding of CFS/ME services from 2006-07 is included within the resource allocations to primary care trusts (PCTs), PCTs have been informed that this funding would be included within their baseline allocations.
	Ministers and departmental officials regularly receive representations seeking dedicated funding for a range of specific diseases and conditions, including CFS/ME. These include a number of questions from Members, which appear in the  Official Report, for example on 17 May 2006, column 1108W and 6 March 2006, column 1198W.

Neonatal Units (London)

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average occupancy rates were in each London neonatal unit in each of the last three years.

Ivan Lewis: The Department does not collect the information in the format requested. Data are for occupancy of neonatal beds and is collected only at trust level rather than at neonatal unit level.
	The average daily occupancy rate for neonatal intensive care beds for national health service organisations in London, 2002-03 to 2004-05 is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Strategic health authority name  Organisation  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 North West London Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust 91.6 94.2 100 
			 North West London Ealing Hospital NHS Trust 54.3 63.8 66.8 
			 North West London North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 85.4 88.1 97.5 
			 North West London St. Mary's Hospital NHS Trust 100 98.0 93 
			 North West London The Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust 89.2 84.4 89.5 
			 North West London The Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust 65.5 82.2 85.7 
			 North West London West Middlesex University NHS Trust 60 70.1 62.7 
			 North Central London Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust—Chase Farm site 65.2 100 100 
			 North Central London Great Ormond Street Hospital For Children NHS Trust 74.3 81.9 84.5 
			 North Central London North Middlesex Hospital NHS Trust 47.5 40.2 27.4 
			 North Central London The Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 86 86.9 86.3 
			 North Central London University College London Hospitals NHS Trust 72.3 84.1 86.2 
			 North Central London Whittington Hospital NHS Trust 98.5 98.3 100 
			 North East London Barking Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust (King George site) 68.5 68.1 71.4 
			 North East London Barts and The London NHS Trust 70.2 73.3 77.8 
			 North East London Homerton Hospital NHS Trust 88.4 90.6 87.3 
			 South East London Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust 65.4 52.8 59.8 
			 South East London Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Trust 70.2 73.6 74.3 
			 South East London King's College Hospital NHS Trust 92.5 100 100 
			 South East London Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust 85.6 86.6 92.5 
			 South East London Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust 60.6 51.1 73.8 
			 South East London Queen Mary's Sidcup NHS Trust 43.6 48 50.7 
			 South West London Epsom and St. Helier NHS Trust 62.2 57.5 55.1 
			 South West London Kingston Hospital NHS Trust 63.4 79.8 80.6 
			 South West London Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust 69.9 72.3 82.7 
			 South West London St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust 90.6 90.3 96.9 
			  Source: Department of Health form KH03

Beverly Integrated Transport Plan

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the East Riding of Yorkshire council will receive confirmation of funding for the Beverly Integrated Transport Plan; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department is currently considering East Riding's Business Case for this scheme alongside the Yorkshire and Humber region's advice on its priorities for major transport schemes within the indicative regional funding allocations announced in July 2005. The response is expected to be announced later this year.

Buses

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average wage is of a bus driver in  (a) West Yorkshire,  (b) Leeds,  (c) Huddersfield and  (d) London.

Gillian Merron: The information available is set out as follows.
	
		
			  Average gross hourly pay for bus and coach drivers 
			   £ 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside other than South Yorkshire 6.42 
			 London 10.05 
			  Source: Office for National Statistics Labour Force Survey Autumn 2004

Damages

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport further to his Answer of 10 January 2006,  Official Report, column 489W, on damages, if he will make a statement on the background to the incidents where no breach of confidentiality would occur.

Gillian Merron: Details of the damages claim where there is no breach of confidentiality would occur are listed as follows:
	
		
			   Date  £  
			 HA 16 November 2004 1,350,000 Personal injury Drainage flooding The claimant who suffered an accident and sustained injuries Personal injury Drainage flooding — A motorist suffered an accident on a trunk road caused by standing water Settled in line with legal advice 
			 MCA 29 July 2004 550,000 Damages for costs for fix vessel stability Details withheld due to confidentiality clause  
			 DSA 2 November 2004 392,000 Personal injury The individual trainee Personal injury. A trainee undergoing CBT (Compulsory Basic Training) had an accident that resulted in the individual suffering injuries leading to a paralysis A claim was made against the ATB (Approved Training Body) and DSA. 
			 HA 10 March 2005 250,000 Personal injury, falling tree The two claimants who suffered accidents and sustained injuries. Personal injury, falling tree—A tree brought down in a heavy storm fell onto a road hitting 2 cars. Settled in line with legal advice. 
			 MCA 1 April 2005 226,204 Damages to cover costs for vessel survey Details withheld due to confidentiality clause.  
			 HA 25 February 2005 140,000 Property Damage tree roots The owners of the properties concerned. Property Damage tree roots—HA trees caused subsidence in 2 nearby properties. Settled in line with legal advice. 
			 DVLA 31 March 2005 98,000 Early termination of contract (Planned Maintenance & Helpdesk) Maintenance Company Early termination of contract (Planned Maintenance & Helpdesk) Compensation for loss of income due to early curtailment of contract. 
			 MCA 10 May 2005 66,142 Damages for cover costs for vessel survey Details withheld on confidentiality  
			 DVLA 31 March 2005 65,000 Early termination of contract (Catering) Catering Company Early termination of contract (Catering) Compensation for loss of income due to early curtailment of contract. 
			 HA 15 November 2004 50,000 Fatality Drainage/ flooding The widow of the driver killed in the accident. Fatality Drainage/flooding - A motorist lost control after hitting a pool of water on a road and hit a tree. Settled in line with legal advice.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority's policy is on providing information to a court about a defendant.

Stephen Ladyman: Prior to a court hearing the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency will provide the court with information relating to any current driving endorsements. This is provided to the courts via an electronic printout of the driver record.

Illegal Taxi Drivers

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many illegal taxi drivers he estimates are operating in  (a) England,  (b) the North East and  (c) the Tees Valley;
	(2)  how many people have been  (a) prosecuted for and  (b) convicted of driving a taxi illegally in (i) England, (ii) the North East and (iii) the Tees Valley in each year since 1997.

Gillian Merron: The Department has made no estimate of the extent of unlicensed taxi operation either in England as a whole or in particular local areas. The degree of unlicensed operation is best assessed at the local level by local taxi licensing authorities, making use of their local knowledge, as part of their responsibilities for enforcement of the law within their area.
	However, relevant data on prosecutions and convictions is held by the Court Proceedings Database of the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. The following tables show the numbers of offenders prosecuted for, and found guilty of, offences under the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 (this is wider than just illegal plying for hire) and section 167 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994(1).
	(1) Taxis in England (outside London) must be licensed by the relevant local authority under the Town Police Clauses Act 1847. Individuals who attempt to provide a taxi service without being properly licensed normally do so by contravening section 45 of the 1847 Act by illegally plying for hire or section 167 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 by touting for business.
	
		
			  Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences related to illegal taxi services North East region and England, 1997-2004( 1) 
			   North East  England 
			   Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			  Statute: Town Police Clauses Act 1847 SS.40-68 
			 1997 61 50 502 405 
			 1998 47 36 657 574 
			 1999 58 44 570 482 
			 2000 42 29 527 451 
			 2001 11 9 374 312 
			 2002 5 3 416 362 
			 2003 13 9 322 257 
			 2004 24 20 254 215 
		
	
	
		
			   North East  England 
			   Proceeded against  Found guilty  Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			  Offence: Touting for hire car service 
			  Statute: Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 S.167 
			 1997 — — 218 166 
			 1998 — — 214 159 
			 1999 — — 182 146 
			 2000 — — 156 127 
			 2001 — — 178 141 
			 2002 — — 229 182 
			 2003 — — 256 194 
			 2004 — — 483 311 
			 (1) These data are provided on the principal offence basis. Note:Offence only applies outside London Source:RDS—Office for Criminal Justice Reform 
		
	
	It has not been possible to break the data down in such a way as to identify the prosecutions and convictions just in the Tees Valley.

Milton Keynes South Midlands Growth Area

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration  (a) his Department and  (b) Network Rail have given to improving the frequency of services and the infrastructure of the rail network from the Milton Keynes South Midlands growth area to and from the West Midlands region following the projected population increase in the growth area.

Derek Twigg: Part of West Coast Main Line Modernisation Project, led by the Department of Transport, will include significant enhancements to the whole route, and in particular, will provide capacity increases at Milton Keynes and Rugby stations. Network Rail aims to finish the work by the end of 2008.
	Much work has already been carried out, including, for example, platform extensions, allowing 12 car trains to operate between Northampton, Milton Keynes and London.
	The Department for Transport is currently considering the future pattern of train services to be provided over the route, including the new West Midlands franchise, taking account of the impact of the growth area, and expects to consult publicly on its proposals during the course of this summer. The Department has published a progress report on the West Coast Main Line Strategy which sets out the latest position regarding the pattern of inter-city services on the route.

MOT Computer System

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the expected expenditure of the MOT computerisation programme was  (a) from the inception of the project to the commencement of rollout and  (b) for annual maintenance costs.

Stephen Ladyman: For part  (a) of the question I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 16 June 2005,  Official Report, columns 532-3W.
	 (b) The annual maintenance costs of the MOT computerisation programme are £645,000 at 2006-07 levels.

Railways

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to facilitate the re-opening of the Leamside Line in Durham for  (a) passenger and  (b) freight use.

Derek Twigg: There are no plans by the Department of Transport to facilitate the re-opening of the Leamside Line in Durham for passenger and freight use. It would be for the local authority working in partnership with Network Rail, to develop a suitable business case which demonstrates value for money.

Railways

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many Sunday rail services have been cancelled in each of the last five years, broken down by train operator; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The information requested is not available in the format requested and would incur disproportionate costs in resources to obtain. Information is however available for 2005 at an aggregate level for all days in the week as follows:
	
		
			  Train operating company  Percentage of total trains planned 
			 Arriva Trains Wales 1.11 
			 Central Trains 1.89 
			 Chiltern 1.42 
			 C2C 0.97 
			 First Great Western 1.03 
			 First Great Western Link 0.97 
			 Gatwick Express 1.08 
			 GNER 1.52 
			 Island Line 0.28 
			 Mersey rail 1.48 
			 Midland Main Line 1.18 
			 Northern 0.71 
			 one 1.26 
			 Silverlink 1.66 
			 South Eastern Trains 1.31 
			 Southern 1.14 
			 South Western Trains 1.02 
			 Thameslink 2.22 
			 Trans Pennine Express 1.14 
			 Virgin Cross Country 0.97 
			 Virgin West Coast 1.40 
			 WAGN 1.05 
			 Wessex 1.04 
			  Source: Network Rail (Data for the period 9 January 2005 to 8 January 2006 inclusive)

Staff Surveys

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff surveys have been conducted in his Department in each of the last three years.

Gillian Merron: The Department has carried out the following staff surveys in each of the last three years.
	
		
			   1 April to 31 March 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 DfT(C) 1 0 1 
			 HA 1 0 1 
			 DVLA 1 1 1 
			 DSA 0 1 0 
			 VGA 1 0 1 
			 VOSA 0 0 0 
			 GCDA — — 0 
			 MCA 1 0 0 
			 Total 5 2 4

Transport Improvements (Hackney, North and Stoke Newington)

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what transport improvements for which his Department is responsible there have been in Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency in the past 12 months; what further improvements are planned; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department provides Transport for London with a block grant, which doubled over the last five years, to £2,181 million 2005-06. The Mayor is responsible for providing a Transport Strategy for London while the boroughs are required to provide Local Implementation Plans which set out how they will contribute to the Mayor's strategy.
	In addition, the Department funds improvements to rail services in London. This investment includes the current preparatory rail bridge building work for the East London Line Extension to Dalston. The project will provide three new stations for North Hackney and Stoke Newington. Further investment is planned for improvements to the North London Line (NLL) which have been confirmed by the Mayor when he takes control of the line in 2007.
	These include new, higher capacity, accessible trains replacing the existing fleet and a £25 million station enhancement programme of NLL stations. The funding of further rail enhancements across the country will be considered as part of the development of the High Level Output Specification for the railway to be published in Summer 2007.

Transport Infrastructure Projects

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the Institute of Civil Engineers on improvements to the management of transport infrastructure projects; and when such discussions took place.

Gillian Merron: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport has had no discussions with the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) on improvements to the management of transport infrastructure projects.
	Officials are aware of ICE work in the transportation sector, and from time to time contribute to this work both a regional and national level.